IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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Sciences 
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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  145M 

(71«)  •72-4503 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notas/Notea  tachniquaa  at  bibiiographiquaa 


Tha  Inatituta  haa  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  baat 
original  copy  availabia  for  filming.  Faaturaa  of  thia 
copy  which  may  isa  bibliographicaliy  uniqua, 
which  may  altar  any  of  tha  imagaa  in  tha 
raproduction,  or  which  may  aignificantly  changa 
tha  uaual  mathod  of  filming,  ara  chackad  balow. 


D 


D 
D 


D 


D 


Colourad  covara/ 
Couvartura  da  coulaur 


I     I   Covara  damagad/ 


Couvartura  andommagte 

Covara  raatorad  and/or  laminatad/ 
Couvartura  raataurAa  at/ou  palliculAa 


□   Covar  titia  mlaaing/ 
La  titra  da  couvartura  manqua 

0    Colourad  mapa/ 
Cartaa  gtograph 


gtographiquaa  an  coulaur 

»d  inic  (i.a.  othar  than  blua 
Encra  da  coulaur  (i.a.  autra  qua  blaua  ou  noira) 


I      I    Colourad  inIc  (i.a.  othar  than  blua  or  blacic)/ 


|~~|   Colourad  plataa  and/or  illuatrationa/ 


Planchaa  at/ou  illuatrationa  an  coulaur 


Bound  with  othar  matarial/ 
RalM  avac  d'autraa  documanta 


Tight  binding  may  cauaa  ahadowa  or  diatortion 
along  intarlor  margin/ 

La  re  liura  aarr^a  paut  cauaar  da  I'ombra  ou  da  la 
diatortion  la  long  da  la  marga  inttriaura 

Blank  laavaa  addad  during  raatoration  may 
appaar  within  tha  taxt.  Whanavar  poaaibia,  thaaa 
hava  baan  omittad  from  filming/ 
II  aa  paut  qua  cartalnaa  pagaa  blanchaa  aJoutAaa 
lora  d'una  raatauration  apparaiaaant  dana  la  taxta, 
mala,  loraqua  cala  Atait  poaaibla.  caa  pagaa  n'ont 
paa  AtA  filmAaa. 

Additional  commanta:/ 
Commantairaa  aupplAmantairaa: 


L'Inatitut  a  microfilm^  la  maillaur  axamplaira 
qu'il  lui  a  AtA  poaaibla  da  aa  procurer.  Laa  dttaila 
da  cat  axamplaira  qui  aont  paut-Atra  uniquaa  du 
point  da  vua  bibliographiqua,  qui  pauvant  modifiar 
una  imaga  raproduita,  ou  qui  pauvant  axigar  una 
modification  dana  la  mAthoda  normala  da  filmaga 
aont  indiqute  ci-daaaoua. 


n 

D 

n 
0 
n 

D 
D 

n 


Thia  Itam  la  filmad  at  tha  raduction  ratio  chackad  balow/ 

Ca  document  aat  filmA  au  taux  da  reduction  indiqu*  ci*daaaoua. 


Colourad  pagaa/ 
Pagaa  da  coulaur 

Pagaa  damaged/ 
Pagaa  andommagtea 

Pagaa  raatorad  and/or  laminated/ 
Pagaa  reataurAea  at/ou  pelliculAea 

Pagaa  diacoloured,  atained  or  foxed/ 
Pagaa  dAcolortea,  tachetAea  ou  piqutea 

Pagaa  detached/ 
Pagaa  dAtachtea 

Showthrough/ 
Tranaparence 

Quality  of  print  variea/ 
Quality  in^gala  de  I'impreaalon 

Includea  aupplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  materiel  auppMmentaira 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Mition  diaponibia 

Pagaa  wholly  or  partially  obacurad  by  errata 
alipa,  tiaauea,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
enaure  the  beat  poaaibla  image/ 
Lea  pagaa  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obacurciea  par  un  fauillet  d'errata,  una  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  4t4  filmtea  A  nouveau  de  fapon  h 
obtenir  la  mailleure  image  poaaibla. 


The 
toti 


The 
poM 
of  tl 
film 


Orifl 

begl 

the 

sion 

oth( 

firat 

aion 

oril 


The 
shal 
TINl 
whi 

Mar 
diff( 
enti 
beg 
righ 
reqi 
met 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

30X 

y 

12X 

16X 

aox 

24X 

28X 

32X 

1 

ire 

details 
IM  du 
modifier 
er  una 
filmaga 


6aa 


ra 


y  arrata 
Id  to 

nt 

raa  paiura, 

19011  A 


T\ 


Tha  copy  filmad  liara  has  baan  raproducad  thanlca 
to  tlia  ganarosity  of: 

National  Library  of  Canada 


Tha  imagas  appearing  hara  ara  tha  baat  quality 
posaibia  conaidaring  tha  condition  and  lagibility 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  kaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  spacifications. 


Original  copiaa  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illuatrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  -^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  tha  symbol  y  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  Included  in  one  exposure  ara  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


1 

2 

3 

L'exemplaire  f  ilmA  f  ut  reproduit  grAce  H  la 
gAnArositA  da: 

Bibliothdque  nationala  du  Canada 


Las  imagas  suivantes  ont  4tA  raproduites  avac  la 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  at 
da  la  nettetA  de  l'exemplaire  filmA,  et  en 
conformity  avac  las  conditions  du  contrat  da 
filmaga. 

Las  axemplairas  originaux  dont  la  couvarture  an 
papier  est  ImprimAe  sent  filmAs  en  commenpant 
par  la  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
darniAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  la  second 
plat,  salon  le  cas.  Tous  las  autres  axemplairas 
originaux  sont  filmte  en  commen^ant  par  la 
pramiAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  darnlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaltra  sur  la 
darnlAre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
ces:  le  symbols  — ►  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartas,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atre 
film6s  A  des  taux  de  reduction  diffArents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atra 
reproduit  en  un  aaui  clichA,  il  est  film*  A  partir 
de  I'angle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  h  droite, 
et  de  haut  an  baa,  en  prenant  la  nombra 
d'images  nicessaira.  lias  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrant  la  mithoda. 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

MmM 


f 


pi 


li 


y 


wi 


m 


in 


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^ 


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3 
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■   S 


TAc  Voltage  of  the  ^Fox"  in  the  Arctic  Seas. 
A  NAERATIVE 

OF    TBI 

DISCOVERY  OF  THE  FATE 

or 

SIR  JOHN  FRANKLIN 

AND 

HIS  COMPANIONS. 


By   captain   M'CLINTOCK,  R.N.,  LL.D 


WITH  MAPS  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


NEW    YORK. 
jr.     T.     Xi    Ij    O  "ST 


Mt 


DEDICATION. 


Mr  Dear  Lady  Franklin, 

There  is  no  one  to  whom  I  could  with  so  much  pro- 
priety or  willingness  dedicate  my  Journal  as  to  you.    For  yon 
i      't  was  originally  written,  and  to  please  you  it  now  appears  in 
print. 

To  our  mutual  friend,  Sherard  Osborne,  I  am  greatly 
obliged  for  his  kindness  in  seeing  it  through  the  press — a  labor 
I  could  not  have  settled  down  to  so  soon  after  my  return;  and 
also  for  pointing  out  some  omissions  and  technicalities  which 
would  have  rendered  parts  of  it  unintelligible  to  an  ordinary 
reader.  These  kind  hints  have  been  but  partially  attended  to, 
and,  as  time  presses,  it  appears  with  the  mass  of  its  original 
imperfections,  as  when  you  read  it  in  manuscript.  Such  as 
it  is,  however,  it  affords  me  this  valued  opportunity  of  assur- 
ing you  of  the  real  gratification  I  feel  in  having  been  instru- 
mental in  accomplishing  an  object  so  dear  to  you.  To  your 
devotion  and  self-sacrifice  the  world  is  indebted  for  the  deeply 
interesting  revelation  unfolded  by  the  voyage  of  the  'Fox.' 

Believe  me  to  be, 

With  sincere  respect,  most  faithfully  yours, 

F.  L.  M'OLINTOCK. 

London,  2ith  Nov.,  1859. 

P) 


F. 
W. 

All 
Da^ 
Obo 
Car 
Tbo 

Wm. 
Hen 
Alb: 

JOHI 

Oko 

ROBI 


LIST  OF  OFFICERS  AND  SHIP'S  COMPANY 

OF  THE  'FOX.' 


-«•»- 


F.  L.  M'Clintock, 
w.  r.  hobsom,  . 
Allrk  W.  Yodno, 
David  Walker,  M.D. 
Gborob  Brands,  . 
Carl  Prterbbn, 
TaoMAg  Blackwell, 

Wm.  Harvbt,     . 
Hbnry  Toms,  . 
Albx.  Thompson, 
John  Sihmonds,     . 
Okorob  Edwards, 
Robert  Scott, 

Thomas  Grinstbad, 
Oeorob  Hobday,  . 
Robert  Hampton, 
John  A.  Hazleton, 
Gborob  Carey,  . 
Ben.  Pound,    . 
Wm.  Walters,   . 
Wm.  Jones,     . 
Jambs  Pitchbr, 
Thomas  Florancb, 
Richard  Shinoleton, 
Anton  Christian, 
Samuel  Emanuel,    . 


.} 


Captain  R.N. 

Lieutenant  R.N. 

Captain,  Mercantile  Marine. 

Surgeon  and  Naturalist. 

Engineer,  died  6lh  Nov.,  1858,  (Apoplexj) 

Interpreter. 

Ship's    Steward,    died   14th   June,    1869^ 

(Scurvy) 

Chief  Quartermaster. 

Quartermaster. 
II 

Boatswain's  Mate. 

Carpenter's  Mate. 

Leading  Stoker,  died  4th  Deo.,  1857,  (in 

consequence  of  a  fall.) 

Snilinaker. 

Captain  of  Hold.  -    ' 

A.  B. 
u 

it 

u 

Carpenter's  Crew 
Dog-driver. 

Stokers. 

OflScers'  Steward. 

Greenland  Esquimaux,  discharged  in  9rMB* 
land. 


(t) 


1 


OFFICIAL  ACKNOWLEDGMENT  OF  THE 
SERVICES  OF  THE  YACHT  'FOX.' 


4 


-^•►- 


1^ 


l\' 


I    i 


Sir, 


AdUIRALTT,   JjOVIjJII, 

24th  Oct.,  1850. 

I  am  commanded  by  my  Lords  Commissioners  of  the 
Admiralty  to  acquaint  yon,  that,  in  consideration  of  the  im- 
portant  services  performed  by  you  in  bringing  home  the  only 
authentic  mtelligcnce  of  the  death  of  the  late  Sir  John  Frank- 
lin, and  of  the  fate  of  the  crews  of  the  '  Erebus'  and  '  Terror,' 
Her  Majesty  has  been  pleased,  by  her  Order  in  Council  of  the 
22nd  instant,  to  sanction  the  time  during  which  you  were  ab. 
sent  on  these  discoveries  in  the  Arctic  Regions,  viz.,  from  the 
30th  June,  1857,  to  the  21st  of  September,  1859,  to  reckon  as 
time  served  by  a  captain  in  command  of  one  of  Her  Majesty's 
ships,  and  my  Lords  have  given  the  necessary  directions  ac* 
cordingly. 

I  am.  Sir, 

Your  very  hr.mble  servant, 

W.  G.  ROMAINB, 

Secretary  to  the  Admiralty 
Captain  Franoia  L.  M<Clinlook,  R.N. 


(10) 


■* 

,;'i 
M 


THE 


PREFACE. 


t.,  1850. 
trs  of  the 
)f  the  im- 
I  the  only 
hn  Frank- 
I  'Terror/ 
Qcil  of  the 

were  ab. 

from  the 
reckon  as 

Majesty's 
ztions  ac- 


dmiraltjf 


M 


i 


The  following  narrative  of  the  bold  adventure 
whioh  has  successfully  revealed  the  last  discoveries 
and  the  fate  of  Franklin,  is  published  at  the  request 
of  the  friends  of  that  illustrious  navigator.  The  gal- 
lant M'Clintock,  when  he  penned  his  Journal  amid  the 
Arctic  ices,  had  no  idea  whatever  of  publishing  it ; 
and  yet  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  reader  will 
peruse  with  the  deepest  interest  the  simple  tale  of  how, 
in  a  litttle  vessel  of  one  hundred  and  seventy  tons 
burden,  he  and  his  well-chosen  companions  have 
cleared  up  this  great  mystery. 

To  the  honor  of  the  British  nation,  and  also  let  it 
be  said  to  that  of  the  United  States  of  America,  many 
have  been  the  efforts  made  to  discover  the  route  fol 
lowed  by  our  missing  explorers.    The  highly  deserv 
ing  men  who  have  so  zealously  searched  the  Arcti 
seas  and  lands  in  this  cause  must  now  rejoice,  thnt 
after  all  their  anxious  toils,  the  merit  of  rescuing  from 
the  frozen  North  the  record  of  the  last  days  of  Frank- 
lin has  fallen  to  the  share  of  his  noble-minded  widow. 

Lady  Franklin  has,  indeed,  well  shown  what  a  de- 
voted and  true-hearted  English  woman  can  acoomplisV 

(») 


12 


PREPACK. 


|!  t 


Hi 


The  moment  that  relics  of  the  expedition  oommandeci 
by  her  husband  were  brought  home  (in  1854)  by  Rae 
and  that  she  heard  of  the  account  given  to  him  by  the 
Esquimaux  of  a  large  party  of  Englishmen  having 
been  seen  struggling  with  difficulties  on  the  ice  neai 
the  mouth  of  the  Back  or  Great  Fish  River,  she  re- 
solved to  expend  all  her  available  means  (already  much 
exhausted  in  four  other  independent  expeditions)  in 
an  exploration  of  the  limited  area  to  which  tKe  search 
must  thenceforward  be  necessarily  restricted. 

Whilst  the  supporters  of  Lady  Franklin's  efforts 
were  of  opinion  that  the  Government  ought  to  have 
undertaken  a  search,  the  extent  of  which  was,  for  the 
first  time,  definitely  limited,  it  is  but  rendering  justice 
to  the  then  Prime  Minister^  to  state,  that  he  had  every 
desire  to  carry  out  the  wishes  of  the  men  of  sciencef 
who  appealed  to  him,  and  that  he  was  precluded  from 
acceding  to  their  petition,  by  nothing  but  the  strongly 
expressed  opinion  of  official  authorities,  that  after  so 
many  failures,  the  Government  were  no  longer  justi- 
fied in  sending  out  more  brave  men  to  encounter  fresh 
dangers  in  a  cause  which  was  viewed  as  hopeless 


*  Viscount  Palmerston. 

t  See  the  Memorial  (Appendix^  addressed  to  the  First  Lord 
of  the  Treasury,  headed  by  Admiral  Sir  F.  Beaufort,  General 
Sabine,  and  many  other  men  of  science,  and  which,  as  President 
of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society,  I  presented  to  the  Prime 
Minister ;  and  also  the  speech  of  Lord  Wrottesly,  the  President 
•f  the  Royal  Society,  who,  in  the  absence  of  the  lamented  Earl 
of  Ellesmere,  brought  the  subject  earnestly  under  the  not!o« 
•f  the  House  of  Lords  on  the  18th  of  July,  1856.  * 


Hei 

to 
the 


H. 


PREFACE. 


18 


)mmanded 
i)  by  Rao 
lim  by  the 
jn  having 
3  ice  neai 
sr,  she  re- 
jaclj  much 
ditions)  in 
bKe  search 

■  • 

n's  efforts 
it  to  have 
as,  for  the 
ng  justice 
had  every 

sciencef 
ided  from 
)  strongly 
t  after  so 
ger  justi- 
Qter  fresh 
hopeless 


First  Lord 
t,  General 

President 
the  Prime 

President 
mted  Earl 

he  notio« 


Hence,  it  devolved  on  Lady  Franklin  and  her  friends 
to  be  the  sole  means  of  endeavoring  to  bring  to  light 
the  true  history  of  her  husband's  voyage  and  fate. 

Looking  to  the  list  of  Naval  worthies  who,  during 
the  preceding  years,  had  been  exploiing  the  Arctic 
Regions,  Lady  Franklin  was  highly  gratified  when  she 
obtained  the  willing  services  of  Captain  M'Clintock 
to  command  the  yacht  'Fox,'  which  she  had  pur- 
chased; for  that  ofi&cer  had  signally  distinguished 
himself  in  the  voyages  of  Sir  John  Ross  and  ^Captain 
(now  Admiral)  Austin,  and  especially  in  his  extensive 
journeys  on  the  ice,  when  associated  with  Captain 
Kcllett.  With  such  a  leader,  she  could  not  but  en- 
tertain sanguine  hopes  of  success  when  the  fast  and 
well-adapted  little  vessel  sailed  from  Aberdeen  on  the 
1st  of  July,  1857,  upon  this  eventful  enterprise. 

Deep,  indeed,  was  the  mortification  experienced  by 
every  one  who  shared  the  feelings  and  anticipations 
of  Lady  Franklin  when  the  untoward  news  came,  in 
the  summer  of  1858,  that,  the  preceding  winter  having 
set  in  earlier  than  usual,  the  '  Fox '  had  been  beset  in 
the  ice  off  Melville  Bay,  on  the  coast  of  Greenland, 
and  after  a  dreary  winter,  various  narrow  escapes,  and 
eight  months  of  imprisonment,  had  been  carried  back 
by  the  floating  ice  nearly  twelve  hundred  geographical 
miles^ven  to  63}°  N.  lat.  in  the  Atlantic  I  (See  the 
woodcut  map.  No.  1.) 

But  although  the  good  litle  yacht  had  been  most 
roughly  handled  among  the  ice-floes  (see  Frontispiece)^ 
we  were  cheered  up  by  the  information  from  Disco, 
that,  with  the  exception  of  the  death  of  the  engine- 


14 


PREFACE. 


. 


pi 

n 


r 


driver  in  consequence  of  a  fall  into  the  hold,  the  crew 
were  in  stout  health  and  full  of  energy,  and  that, 
provided  with  sufficient  fuel  and  provisions,  a  good 
supply  of  sledging  dogs,  two  tried  Esquimaux,  and 
the  excellent  interpreter  Petersen  the  Dane,*  ample 
grounds  yet  remained  to  Lad  us  to  hope  for  a  suc- 
cessful issue.  Above  all,  we  were  encouraged  by  the 
proofs  of  the  self-possession  and  calm  resolve  of 
M'Clintock,  who  held  steadily  to  the  accomplishment 
of  his  original  project ;  the  more  so,  as  he  had  then 
tested  and  recognized  the  value  of  the  services  of 
Lieutenant  (now  Commander)  Hobson,  his  able  second 
in  command ;  of  Captain  Allen  Young,  his  generous 
volunteer  associate  ;t  and  of  Dr.  Walker,  his  accom- 
plished Surgeon. 

Despite,  however,  of  these  reassuring  data,  many 
an  advocate  of  this  search  was  anxiously  alive  to  the 
chance  of  the  failure  of  the  venture  of  one  unassisted 
yacht,  which  after  sundry  mishaps  was  again  starting 
to  cross  Baffin's  Bay,  with  the  foreknowledge  that, 
when  she  reached  the  opposite  coast,  the  real  diffi- 
culties of  the  enterprise  were  to  commence. 

Any  such  misgivings  were  happily  illusory;  and 

*  Since  bis  return  to  Copenhagen,  Petersen  has  leen  wor- 
thily honored  hy  his  Sovereign  with  the  silver  cross  of  Danne- 
brog. 

t  Captain  Allen  Young,  of  the  merchant  marine,  not  only 
threw  his  services  into  this  cause,  and  subscribed  £500  in  fur- 
therance of  the  expedition,  but,  abandoning  lucrative  ap- 
pointments in  command,  generously  accepted  a  subordinate 
pott. 


Ilie  re 

iDe"o 
Island 
tjirou^ 
Strait 
atie  su 
Wb 
record 
i$  mo 
proba 
|ried  t 
Chanr 
differe 
instrui 
be  am 
ships  ( 
finally 
,    At 
itand 


m 


*  Fo 
llioua  o 
liiseful 


iearchi 
Tcyage 
iUustri 
have  I 
lioatio; 
compa 
^«lwayt 
snavigs 


PREFACE. 


16 


I,  the  cre"w 

and  that) 

IS,  a  good 

naux,  and 

le,*  ample 

for  a  sue- 

ed  by  the 

esolve  of 

plishment 

had  then 

jrvices  of 

3le  second 

generous 

is  accom- 

ita,  many 
ve  to  the 
massisted 
Q  starting 
dge  that, 
real  diffi- 

ory;  and 


t«eii  wor- 
of  Danne- 

,  not  only 
500  in  far- 
rative  ap- 
ibordiuat« 


fie  reader  who  follows  M'Clintock  across  the  "  middle 
fee"  of  Baffin's  Bay  to  Pond  Inlet,  thence  to  Beeohey 
Island,  down  a  portion  of  Peel  Strait,  and  then 
ijirough  the  hitherto  unnavigated  waters  of  Bellot 
ptrait  in  one  summer  season,  may  reasonably  expect 
jjkie  success  which  followed. 

Whilst  the  revelation  obtained  from  the  long-sought 
records,  which  were  discovered  by  Lieutenant  Hobson, 
h  most  satisfactory  to  those  who  speculated  on  the 
probability  of  Franklin  having,  in  the  first  instance, 
Jried  to  force  his  way  northwards  through  "Wellington 
CJhannel  (as  we  now  learn  he  did),  those  who  held  a 
different  hypothesis,  namely,  that  he  followed  his 
instructions,  which  directed  him  to  the  S.  W.,  may 
be  amply  satisfied  that  in  the  following  season  the 
ships  did  pursue  this  southerly  course  till  they  were 
finally  beset  in  N.  lat.  70°  05'.* 

;     At  the  same  tiiyie,  the  public  should  fully  under- 
itand  the  motive  which  prompted  the  supporters  of 

./^  *  For  a  r^sum^  of  all  the  plans  of  research  and  the  specula- 
ous  of  seamen  and  geographers,  see  the  interesting  and  most 
luseful  volume  of  Mr.  John  Brown,  entitled,  "The  North-West 
Passage  and  Search  after  Sir  John  Franklin,"  1858.     In  an  Ap- 

flleudix  to  this  work,  we  learn  that,  from  the  earliest  Polar  re- 
iearches  by  John  Cabot,  at  the  end  of  the  15th  century,  to  the 
Tcyage  of  M'Clintock,  there  have  been  about  130  expeditions, 
Illustrated  by  250  books  and  printed  documents,  of  which  150 
have  been  issued  in  England.  Amidst  the  various  recent  pub- 
lications, it  is  but  rendering  justice  to  Dr.  King,  the  former 
companion  of  Sir  George  Back,  to  state  that  he  suggested  and 
always  maintained  the  necessity  of  a  search  for  the  missing 
navigators  at  or  near  the  mouth  of  the  Back  River 


16 


PtlEPACE. 


II 


Lady  Franklin  in  advJ>cating  the  last  search.  Put 
ing  aside  the  hope  which  some  of  us  entertained,  that 
a  few  of  the  younger  men  of  the  missing  expedition 
might  still  be  found  to  be  living  among  the  Esqui- 
maux, we  had  every  reason  to  expect  that  if  the 
ships  were  discovered,  the  scientific  documents  of  the 
voyage,  including  valuable  magnetic  observations, 
would  be  recovered. 

In  the  absence  of  such  good  fortune  we  may,  how- 
ever, well  be  gladdened  by  the  discovery  of  that  one 
precious  document  which  gives  us  a  true  outline  of 
the  voyage  of  the  '  Erebus'  and  '  Terror.' 

That  the  reader  may  comprehend  the  vast  extent 
of  sea  traversed  by  Franklin  in  the  two  summers 
before  his  ships  were  beset,  a  small  map  (No.  t)  is 
here  introduced  representing  all  the  lauds  and  seas 
of  the  Arctic  Eegions  to  the  west  of  Lancaster  Sound 
which  were  known  and  laid  down  when  he  sailed. 
The  dotted  lines  and  arrows,  which  extend  from  the 
then  known  seas  and  lands  into  the  unknown  waters 
or  blank  spaces  on  this  old  map,  indicate  Franklin's 
route,  the  novelty,  range,  rapidity,  and  boldness  of 
which,  as  thus  delineated,  may  well  surprise  the 
geographer,  and  even  the  most  enterprising  Arctic 
sailor.*    For,  those  who  have  not  closely  attended 


*  The  letter  A  in  Baffin's  Bay  ("fig.  1)  indicates  the  spot  where 
Franklin  was  last  seen.  In  fig.  2,  B  is  the  winter  rendezvous' 
at  fieeohej  Island ;  C,  the  greatest  northing  of  the  expedition, 
viz.,  770  N.  lat. ;  Z,  the  final  beset  of  the  '  Erebus'  and  *  Terror'  ; 
the  extreme  north  and  south  points  of  their  voyage  being  repre* 
tented  bj  two  small  ships. 

t  See  map  on  back  of  the  large  map  in  front  of  book. 


PREFACE. 


11 


pch.  Put 
lined,  that 
jxpedition 
he  Esqm- 
lat  if  the 
nts  of  the 
lervations, 

nay,  how- 
^  that  one 
outline  of 

ist  extent 

summers 

(No.  t)  is 

and  seas 

ter  Sound 

he  sailed. 

from  the 

;v'n  waters 

^'ranklin's 

Idness  of 

prise    the 

ig  Arctic 

attended 

spot  where 
rendezvous' 
szpedition, 
i  *  Terror'  ; 
eing  repr«< 


to  the  results  of  other  Arctic  voyages  may  be  informed, 
that  rarely  has  an  expedition  in  the  first  year  accom- 
plished more  by  its  ships  than  the  establishing  of 

^ood  winter  quarters,  from  whence  the  real  researches 
began  by  sledge- work  in  the  ensuing  spring.  Frank- 
lin, however,  not  only  reached  Beechey  Island,  but 
ascended  Wellington  Channel,  then  an  unknown  sea, 
to  77°  N.  lat.,  a  more  northern  latitude  in  this  meri- 
dian than  that  attained  long  afterward  in  ships  by 
Sir  Edward  Belcher,  and  much  to  the  north  of  the 
points  reached  by  Penny  and  De  Haven.  Next,  though 
most  scantily  provided  with  steam-power,  Franklin 
navigated  round  Cornwallis's  Land,  which  he  thus 
proved  to  be  an  island.  The  last  discovery  of  a 
navigable  channel  throughout,  between  Cornwallis 
and  Bathurst  Islands,  though  made  in  the  very  sum- 
mer he  left  England,  has  remained  even  to  this  day 

J  unknown  to  other  navigators  I 

Franklin  then,  in  obedience,  to  his  orders,  steered 
to  the  southwest.  Passing,  as  M'Clintock  believes, 
down  PeePs  Strait  in  1846,  and  reaching  as  far  as 
lat.  70°  05'  N.,  and  long.  98°  23'  W.,  where  the  ships 
were  beset,  it  is  clear  that  he  who,  with  others,  had 
previously  ascertained  the  existence  of   a  channel 

^along  the  north  coast  of  America,  with  which  the 
sea  wherein  he  was  interred  had  a  direct  communica- 
tion, was  the  first  real  discoverer  of  the  North-  West 
Passage.  This  great  fact  must  therefore  be  inscribed 
upon  the  monument  of  Franklin. 

The  adventurous  M'Clure,  who  has  been  worthily 
honored  for  working  out  another  North- Western  pass- 
t 


18 


PREFACE. 


age,  whicli  we  now  know  to  have  been  of  subsequent 
date,*  as  well  as  Collinson,  who,  taking  the  '  Enter- 
prise'  along  the  north  coast  of  America,  and  afterward 
bringing  her  home,  reached  with  sledges  the  western 
edge  of  the  area  recently  laid  open  by  M'Clintock, 
W'll,  I  have  no  doubt,  unite  with  their  Arctic  associ- 
ates, Richardson,  Sherard  Osborn,  and  M'Clintock,  in 
affirming,  that  "Franklin  and  his  followers  secured 
the  honor  for  which  they  died — ^that  of  being  the  fiist 
discoverers  of  the  North-West  Passage."t 

Again,  when  we  turn  from  the  discoveries  of  Frank- 
lin to  those  of  M'Clintock,  as  mapped  in  red  colors  on 
the  general  map,  on  which  is  represented  the  amount 
of  outline  laid  down  by  all  other  Arctic  explorers  from 
the  days  when  these  modern  researches  originated  with 

*  In  1850. 

t  See  a  most  beart-stirring  sketcli  of  the  last  voyage  of  Sir 
Joliu  Franklin,  bj  Captain  Sberard  Osborn,  in  tbe  periodical 
Once  a  weekj  of  tbe  22d  and  29tb  October  and  5tb  November 
last.  Possessing  a  tborongb  acquaintance  witb  tbe  Arctic  Re- 
gions, tbe  distinguished  seaman  bas  sbown  more  tban  bis  ordi- 
nary power  of  description,  in  placing  before  tbe  public  bis 
conception  of  wbat  may  bave  been  tbe  cbief  occurrences  in  tbe 
voyage  of  tbe  'Erebus'  and  'Terror,*  and  tbe  last  days  of 
Franklin,  as  founded  upon  an  acquaintance  witb  tbe  character 
of  tbe  cbief  and  bis  associates,  and  tbe  record  and  relics  ob- 
tained by  M'Clintock.  This  sketch  is  prefaced  by  a  spirited 
and  graceful  outline  of  all  previous  geographical  discoveries, 
from  tbe  day  when  they  were  originated  by  tbe  father  of  all 
modern  Arctic  enterprise.  Sir  John  Barrow,  to  whom,  and  to 
many  other  eminent  persons,  from  Sir  Edward  Parry  downward, 
I  bave  in  various  Geographical  Addresses  offered  tbe  tribute 
of  my  admiration. 


Sir  J( 
disco'^ 
fiTerr 


*  In 
^trong 
Wthe 
>f  M'( 
«d  b 


PREFACE. 


l» 


lubsequent 

he  'Enter- 
afterward 
le  western 
['Clintook, 
itic  associ- 
lintcck,  iu 
•s  secured 
g  the  fiidt 

of  Frank- 
colors  on 
le  amount 
)rers  from 
lated  with 


rage  of  Sir 
periodical 
November 
Arctic  Ro- 
ll his  ordi- 
public  his 
ices  in  the 
t  days  of 
character 
relics  ob- 
a  spirited 
scoreries, 
ber  of  all 
n,  and  to 
ownward, 
le  tribnta 


Bir  John  Barrow,  we  perceive  that,  in  addition  to  the 
discovery  of  the  course  followed  by  the  '  Erebus*  and 
t Terror,*  some  most  important  geographical  data  have 
been  accumulated  by  the  last  expedition  of  Lady 
Ipranklin. 

Thus,  M'Clintock  has  proved  that  the  strait  named 
ty  Kenedy  in  an  earlier  private  expedition  of  Lady 
J'ranklin  after  his  companion  the  brave  Lieutenant 
Bellot,  and  which  has  hitherto  been  regarded  only  as 
in  impassable  frozen  channel,  or  ignored  as  a  channel 
ft  all,  is  a  navigable  strait,  the  south  shore  of  which  ia 
|hus  seen  to  be  the  northernmost  land  of  the  continent 
l>f  America. 

M'Clintock  has  also  laid  down  the  hitherto  unknown 
f  oast-line  of  Boothia,  southward  from  Bellot  Strait  to 
Ihe  Magnetic  Pole,  has  delineated  the  whole  of  King 
William's  Island,  and  opened  a  new  and  capacious, 
Ihough  ice-choked  channel,  suspected  before,  but  not 
proved,  to  exist,  extending  from  Victoria  Strait  in  a 
fiorthwest  direction  to  Melville  or  Parry  Sound.  The 
latter  discovery  rewarded  the  individual  exertions  of 
Captain  Allen  Young,  but  will  very  properly,  at  Lady 
Franklin's  request,  bear  the  name  of  the  leader  of  the 
I  Fox'  expedition,  who  had  himself  assigned  to  it  the 
ame  of  the  widow  of  Franklin.* 


*  In  his  volume  before  cited,  p.  12,  Mr.  John  Brown  gave 

itrong  reasons  (which  he  had  held  for  some  time)  for  believing 

In  the  existence  of  the  very  channel  which  now  bears  the  name 

9t  M'Clintock.    It  is,  however,  the  opinion  both  of  that  officer 

«d  his  associates,  as  also  of  Captain  Sherard  OsborSi  that 


so 


PREFACE. 


I 


Neither  has  the  expedition  been  unproductive  ol 
scientific  results.  For,  whilst  many  persons  will  be 
interested  in  the  popular  descriptions  of  the  native 
Esquimaux,  as  well  as  of  the  lower  animals,  the  man 
of  science  will  hereafter  be  further  gratified  by  having 
presented  to  him,  in  the  form  of  an  additional  Ap 
pendix,*  most  valuable  details  relating  to  the  zoology 
botany,  meteorology,  and  especially  to  the  terrestrial 
magnetism,  of  the  region  examined. 

Lastly,  M'Clintock  has  convinced  himself,  that  the 
best  way  of  securing  the  passage  of  a  ship  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  is  by  following,  as  near  as 
possible,  the  coast-line  of  North  America :  indeed,  it 
is  his  opinion,  founded  upon  a  large  experience,  that 
no  passage  by  a  ship  can  ever  be  accomplished  in  a 
more  northern  direction.  This,  it  is  well  known,  was 
the  favorite  theory  of  Franklin,  who  had  himself, 
along  with  Eichardson,  Back,  Beechey,  Dease,  Simp- 
son and  Eae,  surveyed  the  whole  of  that  same  North 
American  coast  from  the  Back  or  Great  Fish  Eiver 
to  Behring  Strait.  Thus,  when  Franklin  sailed  in 
1845,  the  discovery  of  a  North- West  Passage  wab 
reduced  to  the  finding  a  link  between  the  latter  sui - 
rey  and  the  discoveries  of  Parry,  who  had  abeady, 
to  his  great  renown,  opened  the  first  half  of  a  more 
northern  course  from  east  to  west,  when  he  was 


Franklin  ooald  not  have  reached  the  spot  where  his  ships  were 
beset  by  proceediag  down  that  ice-choked  channel,  but  that  he 
mast  have  sailed  down  Peel  Sonnd. 

*  Much  of  this  Appendix  will  be  prepared  by  Dr.  David 
Walker 


PREFACE. 


%% 


active  ol 
3  will  be 
lie  native 
,  the  maD 
)y  having 
onal  Ap 
)  zoology 
ierrestrial 

\  that  the 
from  the 
s  near  as 
indeed,  it 
ence,  that 
slied  in  a 
own,  was 

himself, 
,se,  Simp- 
ne  North 
ah.  River 
sailed  in 
sage  wab 
atter  sui  ^ 

already, 
>f  a  more 

he  was 

ships  were 
tut  that  he 

Dr.  David 


arrested  by  the  impenetrable  ice-barrier  at  Melville 
Island. 

And  here  it  is  to  be  remembered,  that  the  tract 
in  which  the  record  and  the  relics  have  been  found, 
is  just  that  to  which  Lady  Franklin  herself  specially 
directed  Kenedy,  the  commander  of  the  '  Prince  Al- 
bert,' in  her  second  private  expedition  in  1852 ;  and 
had  that  intrepid  explorer  not  been  induced  to  search 
northward  of  Bellot  Strait,  but  had  felt  himself  able 
to  follow  the  course  indicated  by  his  sagacious  em- 
ployer, there  can  be  no  doubt,  that  much  more  satis- 
factory results  would  have  been  obtained  than  those 
which,  after  a  lapse  of  seven  years,  have  now  been 
realized  by  the  undaunted  perseverance  of  Lady 
Franklin,  and  the  skill  and  courage  of  M'Clintock. 

The  natural  modesty  of  this  commander  has,  I  am 
t>ound  to  say,  prevented  his  doing  common  justice, 
in  the  following  journal,  to  his  own  conduct — con- 
duct which  can  Ite  estimated  by  those  only  who  have 
listened  to  the  testimony  of  the  officers  serving  with 
itnd  under  the  man,  whose  great  qualities  in  moments 
of  extreme  peril  elicited  their  heartiest  admiration  and 
insured  their  perfect  confidence. 
I    In  writing  this  Preface  (which  I  do  at  the  request 
if  the  promoters  of  the  last  search),  I  may  state  that, 
having  occupied  the  Chair  of  the  Royal  Geographical 
Society  in  1845,  when  my  cherished  friend,  Sir  John 
^IFranklin,  went  forth  for  the  third  time  to  seek  a 
North- W^st  passage,  it  became  my  bound  en  duty,  in 
ubsequent  years,  when  his  absence  created  much 
nxiety,  and  when  I  reoccupied  the  same  position, 


22 


PREFACE. 


ardently  to  promote  tlie  employment  of  searching  ex 
peditions,  and  warmly  to  sustain  Lady  Franklin's 
endeavors  in  this  holy  cause. 

Imbued  with  such  feelings,  I  must  be  permitted 
to  say,  that  no  event  in  my  life  gave  me  purer  delight 
than  when  Captain  CoUinson,  whose  labors  to  support 
and  carry  out  this  last  search  have  been  signally  ser- 
viceable,  forwarded  to  me  a  telegram  to  be  communi- 
cated  to  the  British  Association  at  Aberdeen  an- 
nouncing the  success  of  M'Clintock.  That  document 
reached  Balmoral  on  the  22d  of  September  last,  when 
the  men  of  science  were  invited  thither  by  their 
Sovereign.  Great  was  the  satisfaction  caused  by  the 
diffusion  of  these  good  tidings  among  my  associates* 
(the  distinguished  Arctic  explorers  Admiral  Sir  James 
Eoss  and  General  Sabine  being  present) ;  and  it  was 
most  cheering  to  us  to  know,  that  the  Queen  and  our 
Royal  President*  took  the  deepest  interest  in  this 
intelligence — such  as,  indeed,  they  have  always  evinced 
whenever  the  search  for  the  missing  navigators  has 
been  brought  under  their  consideration.    The  imme- 


*  At  the  Aberdeen  meeting  the  Prince  Coosort  thus  spoke : 
**  The  Aberdeen  whaler  braves  the  icy  regions  of  the  Polar  Sea 
to  seek  and  to  battle  with  the  great  monster  of  the  deep ;  he 
has  materially  assisted  in  opening  these  icebound  regions  to  the 
researches  of  science ;  he  fearlessly  aided  in  the  search  after 
Sir  John  Franklin  and  his  gallant  companions  whom  their 
country  sent  forth  on  this  mission ;  but  to  whom  Providence 
alas  1  has  denied  the  reward  of  their  labors,  the  return  to  their 
homes,  to  the  affectionate  embrace  of  their  families  and  friends, 
and  the  acknowledgments  of  a  grateful  nation." 


idded 
WBLve,  ii 


PREFACE. 


23 


hing  ex 
ranklin'a 

lermitted 
r  delight 
)  support 
lally  ser- 
ommuni- 
leen  an- 
locument 
1st,  when 
by  their 
d  by  the 
xssociatef* 
jir  James 
id  it  was 
I  and  our 
t  in  this 
s  evinced 
ators  has 
he  imme- 


lus  spoke : 
)  Polar  Sea 
I  deep ;  he 
ions  to  the 
earoh  after 
horn  their 
Providence 
irn  to  their 
lid  friends, 


diate  bestowal  of  the  Arctic  meoal  upon  all  the  ofli» 
pers  and  men  of  the  *  Fox '  is  a  pleasing  proof  that 
this  interest  is  well  sustained. 

But  these  few  introductory  sentences  must  not  bo 
Extended ;  and  I  invite  the  reader  at  once  to  peruse 
the  Journal  of  M'Clintock,  which  will  gratify  every 
lover  of  truthful  and  ardent  research,  though  it  will 
leave  him  impressed  with  the  sad  belief,  that  the  end 
of  the  companions  of  Franklin  has  been  truly  re- 
•ijorded  by  the  native  Esquimaux,  who  saw  these  no- 
ble fellows  "fall  down  and  die  as  they  walked  along 
the  ice." 

Looking  to  the  fact,  that  little  or  no  fresh  food 
oould  have  been  obtained  by  the  crews  of  the  *  Ere 
bus'  and  'Terror'  during  their  long  imprisonment 
<rf  twenty  months,  in  so  frightfully  sterile  a  region  as 
that  in  which  the  ships  were  abandoned — so  sterile 
that  it  is  even  deserted  by  the  Esquimaux — and  also 
to  the  want  of  sustenance  in  spring  at  the  mouth  of 
lie  Back  Kiver,  all  the  Arctic  naval  authorities  with 
whom  I  have  conversed,  coincide  with  M'Clintock 
and  his  associates  in  the  belief,  that  none  of  the  miss- 
mg  navigators  can  now  be  living. 
4  Painful  as  is  the  realization  of  this  tragic  event,  let 
III  now  dwell  only  on  the  reflection  that,  while  the 
North-Wcst  passage  has  been  solved  by  the  heroic 
self-sacrifice  of  Franklin,  Crozier,  Fitzjames,  and  their 
associates,  the  searches  after  them,  which  are  now 
l^rminated,  have,  at  a  very  small  loss  of  life,  not  only 
iflded  prodigiously  to  geographical  knowledge,  but 
have,  in  times  of  peace,  been  the  best  school  for  test- 


24 


PHEFACK. 


ing,  by  the  severest  trials,  the  skill  and  endurance  of 
many  a  brave  seaman.  In  her  hour  of  need — should 
need  arise — England  knows  that  such  men  will  nobly 
do  their  duty. 

KODEBIOE  I.  MUBCHISOK. 


.1 


0.iase  ol 
Arotio 
the  UD 
— Fin< 
ihaab, 


Viskerni 

Summ 

Esqui 

■i'  middl 

.'^:  glaoie 

I 

llelville 
'  — Dri 
i  pack- 
.  killon 


now  CI 
vadei 
rise  0 


iurance  of 
)d — should 
will  nobly 

ICHISON. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

0Anse  of  delay  in  equipment— Fittings  of  the  'Fox' — Volanteeri  foi 
Arctic  service — Assistance  from  public  departments — Reflections  upon 
the  undertaliing — Instructions  and  departure— Orkneys  and  Greenland 
— Fine  Arctic  senery — Danish  establishments  in  Greenland — Frederick- 
xhaab,  in  Davis's  Straits Page  31 

CHAPTER  II. 

Rskernaes  and  Esquimaux — The  'Fox'  reaches  Disco — Diseo  Fiord— > 

Summer  scenery — Waigat  Strait — Coaling  from  the  mine — Purchasing 

Esquimaux  dogs  —  Heavy   gale  off   Upernivik — Melville  Bay  —  The 

■t  middle  ice  —  The  great  glacier  of  Greenland  —  Reindeer  cross  the 

i  glacier 47 

CHAPTER  III. 

Velville  Bay — Beset  in  Melville  Bay — Signs  of  winter — ^The  coming  storm 
— Drifting  in  the  pack— Canine  appetite— Resigned  to  a  winter  in  the 

;  pack — Dinner  stolen  by  sharks — The  Arctic  shark — White  whales  and 
killers 58 

CHAPTER  IV. 

{now  crystals — Dog  will  not  eat  raven — An  Arctic  school — The  dogs  in- 
vade us — Bear  •hunting  by  night — Ice-artillery — Arctic  palates — Sudden 
rise  of  temperature — Harvey's  idea  of  a  sortie 70 

CHAPTER  V. 

Inrial  in  the  pack — Musk  oxen  in  lat.  80**  north — Thrift  of  the  Arotio 
fox — The  aurora  affects  the  electrometer — An  Arctic  Christmas — Suf- 
ferings of  Dr.  Kane's  party — Ice  acted  on  by  wind  only— How  the  tun 
ought  to  be  welcomed — Constant  action  of  the  ice — Return  of  the  seali 
—Revolving  storm 'Y) 


H  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

A  b«ftr-flgbt— An  ioe<nip— Strong  gales,  rapid  drift— The  'Fox  br«aki 
oat  of  the  pack— Hanging  on  to  floe-edge — The  Arctic  Bear— -An  ice 
ionrnament — The  *  Fox '  in  peril — A  storm  in  the  pack — Escape  from 
the  pack 94 

CHAPTER  VII. 

A  holiday  in  Greenland — A  lady  blue  with  cold— The  lovea  of  Green, 
landers — Close  shaving — Meet  the  whalers — Information  of  whalers- 
Disco — Danish  hospitality — Sail  from  Disco— Kindness  of  the  whalers 
— Danish  establishments  in  Greenland 109 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

*  Fox '  nearly  wrecked — Afloat,  and  push  ahead — Arctic  hairbreadth  os* 
capes — Nearly  caught  in  the  pack — Shooting  little  auks — The  Arctic 
Highlanders — Cape  York — Crimson  snow — Struggling  to  the  westward 
—Reach  the  West-land — Off  the  entrance  of  Lancaster  Sound 117 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Off  Cape  Warrender — Sight  the  whalers  again — Enter  Pond's  Bay — Com- 
municate with  Esquimaux — Ascend  Pond's  Inlet — Esquimaux  informa- 
tion— Arctic  summer  abode — An  Arctic  village — No  intelligence  of 
Franklin's  ships — Arctic  trading — Geographical  information  of  natives 
—Information  of  Rae's  visit — Improvidence  of  Esquimaux — Travels  of 
Esquimaux. ...M«.<...>~ 129 


R 


CHAPTER  X. 

Leave  Pond's  Bay— A  gale  in  Lancaster  Sound— The  Beechoy  Island 
Depdt — An  Arctic  monument — Reflections  at  Beechey  Island — Proceed 
np  Barrow's  Strait— Peel  Sound— Port  Leopold— Prince  Regent's  Inlet 
— Bellot  Strait— Flood-tide  from  the  west — Unsuccessful  efforts— Fox's 
Hole — No  water  to  the  west — Precautionary  measures — Fourth  attempt 
to  pass  through 114 


I; 


CHAPTER  XL 

Proceed  westward  in  a  boat — Cheerless  state  of  the  western  sea — Strug- 
gles in  Bellot  Strait — Falcons,  good  Arctic  fare — The  resources  of 
Boothia  Felix  —  Future  slodge  traveling  —  Heavy  gales  —  Hobson's 
party  start— Winter  quarters— Bellot's  Striut— Advanced  depdt  estab- 
lished— Observatories — Intense  cold— Autumn  travelers — Narrow  es- 
e«P« l«0 


CONTENTS. 


9) 


'Fox  breaki 
Bear— Ad  too 
-Eioape  from 

n 


res  of  Green* 

of  wbniers— 

f  the  wbaleri 

106 


lirbreadth  os* 
)— The  Aretio 
tbe  westward 
ound 117 


*B  Bay — Com- 
lauz  iDforma- 
itelligence  of 
ion  of  natives 
c — Travels  of 
129 


CIIAPTBR  XII. 

poath  of  our  engineer — Scarcity  of  game — Tbe  cold  unusually  trying— 
.  ully.  unuu/  »  Ivtirite  eircumalances — Petersen's  infunnntion — Rotum 
of  th^  mn  of  I8>U — Early  spring  sludge  parties — Unusual  severity  of 
Mie  winter-^^evere  hardsbips  of  early  sledging — Tbe  western  sbores  of 

\  Bo'iOiUi — Meet  tbe  Esquimaux — Intelligence  of  Franklin's  sbips — Re- 
turn to  tlio  '  Fux' — Allen  Yuung  returns 178 

riiAPTER  XIII. 

Dr.  Wnlkor's  sledge  journey — Snow-blindness  attacks  Young's  party- 
Departure  of  all  liledge-partieH — Equipment  of  sledge-parties — Meet  tbe 
same  party  of  nutivcs — Intelligence  of  tbe  second  sbip — My  depAt 
rubbed — Part  cutnpnny  wiib  Hubsun — Mntty  Island — Deserted  snow- 

-  huts — Native  sledges — Land  on  King  Willium's  Land 191 

CIIAriER   XIV. 

Meet  Esquimaux — News  of  Franklin's  people — Frigbten  a  solitary  party 

-Reaob  tb«  Great  Fisb  River— On  Montreal  Island — Total  absence  4"/ 

all  relics — Examine  Ogle  Peninsula — Discover  a  skeleton — Vnguenesi 

of  Esquimaux  information — Capo  Hersobel — Cairn 204 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Tbe  cairn  found  empty — Discover  Hobson's  letter — Discovery  of  Cro- 
zier's  record — Tbe  deserted  boat — Articles  discovered  about  tbe  boat—* 
The  skeleton  and  relics — The  boat  belonged  to  tbe  '  Erebus' — Conjec- 
tures..   .217 


>ecbey  Island 
ftnd — Proceed 
legont's  Inlet 
Bffbrts — Fox's 
)urth  attempt 
114 


a  sea — Strug- 
resources  of 
!8  —  Hobson's 
depdt  estab- 
—Narrow  es- 


CHAPTER  XVL 

"Errors  in  Franklin's  records — Relics  found  at  the  cairn — Reflections  on 
tbe  retreat — Retuii.ing  homeward — Geological  remarks — Difficulties  of 
summer  sledging — Arrive  on  board  tbe*  Fox' — Navigable  N.  W.  Pas- 
sage— DcKtb  from  scurvy — Anxiety  for  Captain  Young — Young  returns 
aafely.... 231 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Signs  of  release — Dearth  of  animal  life — Owl  is  good  beef— Beat  out  of 
winter  quarters — Our  game-list — Reach  Fury  Beach — Escape  from  Re- 
gent's Inlet — In  Baffin's  Bay — Captain  Allen  Young's  journey — Disco; 
sad  disxppointment — Part  from  our  Esquimaux  friends — Adieu  to 
Greenland — Arrive  home 246 

CoHCLUsioir 262 


28  CONTENTS. 

APPENDIX. 

No.  T. — A  Letter  to  Viscount  Palmerston,  K.  O.,  Ac,  from  Lady  Frank, 
lin !". Page  265 

No.  IL — Memorial  to  the    Right   Hon.  Viscount  Palmerston,   M.  P., 
O.  C.  B 274 

No.  in. — List  of  Relics  of  the  Franklin  Expedition  brought  to  England 
in  the  '  Fox'  by  Captain  M'Clintock 279 

No.  IV. — Geologioal  Account  of  the  Arctic  Archipelago,  by  Professor 
Uaughton 286 

No.  v.— List  of  subscribers  to  thn  'Fox' Expedition.........  ^ .......Ill 


Lady  Frank- 
Puge265 

8ton,   M.  P., 
274 

Dt  to  England 
279 

by  Professor 
288 

tli 


fi. 


fe% 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


The  *  Fox    steaming  out  of  the  Rolling  Pack.    Drawn 

hy  Captain  May Frontispiece. 

Sketch  Map  of  the  Drift  of  the  <  Fox '  down  Baffin's  Bay 

in  the  floating  Ice To  /ace  page  81 

Sketch  Map  of  Arctic  Regions  at  the  time  of  Franklin's  On  hack  of  large 

Last  Expedition ma2)/ront* 

A  Funeral  on  the  Ice — the  effect  of  Paraselena  (Mock 

Muuns).     Drawn  by  Captain  3/ay .' —              82 

The   Greenlander's    Supper  appropriated   by   a  Bear. 

Ditto —            100 

The  '  Fox '  on  a  Rock  near  Bucban  Island.     Ditto —            118 

A  Dog  Sledge  or  Scout  Party —            200 

Esquimaux  imitating  animals  to  induce  Europeans  to 

approach.     From  a  tketch  by  Captain  Allen  Young,  —            123 
The  Village  and  Glacier  of  Kaparok-to-lik.     Drawn  by 

Captain  May —              1.35 

The  '  Fox '  arriving  at  Beechey  Island.     Ditto —            145 

M'Clintock  in  his  Boat  passing  through  Bellot  Strait. 

Ditto —            160 

Interior  of  the  Observatory.     Ditto —            200 

Moonlight  in  the  Arctic  Regions.     Dttto —            144 

M'Clintock's  Traveling  Party  discovering  the  Remains 

of  Cairn  at   Cape   Herschel.     Drawn   by   Captain 

May —             213 

Facsimile  of  the  Record  found  of  Franklin's  Expedi-  On  back  of  large 

tion map  front. 

Isolated  Iceberg,     Drawn  by  P.  Skelton,  from  a  Sketch 

by  Captain  Allen   Young —              236 

Walrussen — a  Family  Party.     From  a  Sketch  by  Cap- 
tain Allen  Young — .             206 

Cape  Bunny,  Peel  Sound —            290 

Map  of  ttie  Norlh-West  Passage,  by  John  Arrowsmith, 

(29) 


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JOURNAL  OF  THE  SEARCH 


FOB 


SIR   JOHN    FRANKLIN. 


«  •  »  •  » 


CHAPTER    I. 

lustt  of  delftj  in  equipmeDt— Fittings  of  the  '  Fox'— Voluntoerft  fit 
Arctic  lerTloe — Assistance  from  public  departments — Reflections  byJii 
the  ondertalcing — Instructions  and  departure — Orlcneys  and  Orr*i- 
land — Fine  Arctic  scenery — Danish  establishments  in  Qn:euif.nd— 
Fredericlcshaab,  in  Davis'  Straits. 


It  is  novir  a  matter  of  history  how  Govern ment  and  pri- 

ate  expeditions  prosecated,  with  unprecedented  zeal  and 

rseverance,  the  search  for  Sir  John  Franklin's  ships,  be- 

een  the  years  1847-55;  and  that  the  only  ray  of  :!ifor- 

tion  gleaned  was  that  afforded  by  the  inscriptions  upon 

e  tombstones  at  Beechey  Island,  briefly  recording  the 

es  and  dates  of  the  deaths  of  those  individuals  of  the 

Wm  expedition,  who  thus  early  fell  in  the  cause  of  science 

of  their  country. 

this  manner  were  we  made  aware  of  the  locality  where 

tlfl^ranklin  expedition  passed  its  first  Arctic  winter.    The 

s  assuring  us  of  that  fact,  were  discovered  in  August, 

,  by  Captain  Ommanney,  R.  N.,  of  H.  M.  S.  *  As- 

nce,»  and  by  Captain  Penny,  of  the  *  Lady  Franklin.* 

October,  1854,  Dr.  Rae  brought  home  the  only  addi- 

(31) 


32 


FORMER  EXPEDITIONS. 


ClAP.  I. 


i 


tional  information  respecting  them  which  has  ever  reached 
as.  From  tlie  Esquimaux  of  Boothia  Felix  lie  learned  tliut 
a  party  of  about  forty  white  men  were  met  on  the  west  coast 
of  King  William's  Island,  and  from  thenco  traveled  on  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Great  Fish  River,  where  they  all  perished 
of  starvation,  and  that  this  trogic  event  occurred  apparently 
in  the  spring  of  1850. 

Some  relics  obtained  from  these  natives,  and  brought  home 
by  Dr.  Rae,  were  proved  to  have  belonged  to  Sir  John 
Franklin  and  several  of  his  associates. 

The  Government  caused  an  exploring  party  to  descend 
the  Fish  River  in  1855;  but,  although  sufficient  traces  were 
found  to  prove  that  some  portion  of  the  crews  of  the  *  Ere- 
bus' and  '  Terror'  had  actually  landed  on  the  bank  of  that 
river,  and  traces  existed  of  them  up  to  Franklin  Rapids,  no 
additional  information  was  obtained  either  from  the  dis- 
covery  of  records,  or  through  the  Esquimaux.  Mr.  Ander- 
son, the  Hudson  Bay  Company's  officer  in  charge,  and  his 
small  party,  deserve  credit  for  their  perseverance  and  skill ; 
but  they  were  not  furnished  with  the  necessary  means  of  ac* 
complishing  their  mission.  Mr.  Anderson  could  not  ob< 
tain  an  interpreter,  and  the  two  frail  bark  canoes  in  which 
his  whole  party  embarked  were  almost  worn  out  before  they 
reached  the  locality  to  be  searched.  It  is  not  surprising 
that  such  an  expedition  caused  very  considerable  excitement 
at  home. 

Lady  Franklin,  and  the  advocates  for  further  search,  now 
pressed  upon  Government  the  necessity  of  following  up, 
in  a  more  eflfectnal  manner,  the  traces  accidentally  found  by 
Dr.  Rae,  and,  in  fact,  of  rendering  the  seach  complete  by 
one  more  effort,  involving  but  little  of  hnznrd  or  expenee. 
It  was  not  until  April,  1857,  that  any  decisive  answer  was 
givcc:  to  Lady  Franklin's  appeal.     (See  Appendix  No.  1.) 

Sir  Charles  Wood  then  stated  '•  that  the  members  of  Uer 
Majesty's  Government,  having  come,  with  great  regret,  to 


1 


ClAP.  I. 

er  reached 
nnied  tliut 
west  coast 
[)  un  to  tlie 
1  perished 
apparent); 

ught  home 
Sir  Joba 

;o  descend 

races  were 

the  •  Ere- 

Ilk  of  that 

[lapids,  no 

u  the  dis- 

Ir.  Ander- 

;e,  and  his 

and  skill ; 

am  uf  ac* 

not  ob» 

in  which 

efore  they 

ur  prising 

xcitemeut 


i 


Am   1857.        CAISE    OF    DELAY    IN    EQUIPMENT.  | 

the  concluMion  that  tlicro  was  no  prospect  of  saving  life, 
would  not  1)0  jnstinid,  for  anj  objects  which  in  their 
opiiii  )n  could  be  obtained  by  an  expedition  to  the  Arctic 
teas,  in  exposing  the  lives  of  officers  and  men  to  the  risk 
inseparable  from  such  an  enterprise." 

Lady  Franklin,  upon  this  final  disappointment  of  her 
hopes,  had  no  hesitation  in  immediately  preparing  to  send 
out  a  searching  expedition,  equipped  and  stored  at  her  owe 
cost.  But  she  was  not  left  alone.  Many  friends  of  the 
cause — including  some  of  the  most  distinguished  scientific 
men  in  England,*  and  especially  Sir  Roderick  Murehison, 
whose  zeal  was  as  practical  as  it  was  enlightened — hastened 
to  tender  their  aid,  and  soon  a  very  considerable  sum  was 
raised  in  furtherance  of  so  truly  noble  an  effort. 

On  the  18th  of  April,  1857,  Lady  Franklin  did  me  the 
honor  to  offer  me  the  command  of  the  proposed  expedition ; 
it  was  of  course  most  cheerfully  accepted.  As  a  post  of 
honor  and  some  difficulty,  it  possessed  quite  sufficient 
charms  for  a  naval  officer  who  had  already  served  in  three 
consecutive  expeditions  from  1848  to  1854.  I  was  thor* 
oughly  conversant  with  all  the  details  of  this  peculiar  ser- 
vice ;  and  I  confess,  moreover,  that  my  whole  heart  was  in 
the  cause.  How  could  I  do  otherwise  than  devote  myself 
to  save  at  least  the  record  of  faithful  service,  even  unto 
death,  of  my  brother  officers  and  seamen  ?  and,  being  one 
of  those  by  whosA  united  efforts  not  only  the  Franklin 
search,  but  the  Geography  of  Arctic  America,  has  been 
brought  so  nearly  to  completion,  I  could  not  willingly  re- 
s'tpn  to  posterity  the  honor  of  filling  up  even  the  small  re« 
mniiiing  blank  upon  our  maps. 

To  leave  these  discoveries  incomplete,  more  especially  in 
a  quarter  through  which  the  tidal  stream  actually  demon- 
strates the  existence  of  a  channel — the  only  remaining  hope 

*  A  liat  of  then  and  thsir  lubioriptioni  to  be  giv«H  in  Appendix. 
3 


34 


NOMINATION  OP  COMMANDER. 


Chap.  I. 


of  a  practicable  north-west  passage — would  indeed  beleav* 
iiig  strong  inducements  fur  future  explorers  to  reap  the 
rich  reward  of  our  long-continued  exertions. 

1  immediately  applied  to  the  Admiralty  for  leave  of  ab- 
sence to  complete  the  Franklin  search;  and  on  the  23d  re- 
ceived  at  Dublin  the  telegraphic  message  from  Lady  Frank- 
lin  :  "Your  leave  is  granted ;  the  '  Fox'  is  mine;  the  refit 
will  commence  immediately."  She  had  already  purchased 
the  screw-yacht  'Fox,'  of  17t  tons  burthen,  and  now 
placed  her,  together  with  the  necessary  funds,  at  my 
disposal. 

Let  me  explain  what  is  here  implied  by  the  simple  word 
refit.  The  velvet  hangings  and  splendid  furniture  of  the 
yacht,  and  also  everything  not  constituting  a  part  of  the 
vessel's  strengthening,  were  to  be  removed ;  the  large  sky- 
lights and  capacious  ladderways  had  to  be  reduced  to  limits 
more  adapted  to  a  polar  clime  ;  the  whole  vessel  to  be  ex- 
ternally sheathed  with  stout  planking,  and  internally  fortified 
by  strong  cross-beams,  longitndinal  beams,  iron  stanchions, 
and  diagonal  fastenings;  the  false  keel  taken  ofi^,  the  slender 
brass  propeller  replaced  by  a  massive  iron  one,  the  boiler 
taken  out,  altered  and  enlarged ;  the  sharp  stem  to  be 
cased  in  iron  until  it  resembled  a  ponderous  chisel  set  up 
edgeways ;  even  the  yacht's  rig  had  to  be  altered. 

She  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  her  builders,  Messrs. 
Hall  &  Co.,  of  Aberdeen,  who  displayed  even  more  than 
their  usual  activity  in  effecting  these  necessary  alterations, 
for  it  was  determined  that  the  '  Fox'  should  sail  by  the 
1st  July. 

Internally  she  was  fitted  up  with  the  strictest  economy 
in  every  sense,  and  the  officers  were  crammed  into  pigeon- 
holes, styled  cabins,  in  order  to  make  rooni  for  provisions 
and  stores ;  our  mess-room,  for  five  persons,  measured 
eight  feet  square.  The  ordinary  heating  apparatus  for 
winter  use  was  dispensed  with,  aud  its  placa  supplied  hj  a 


It.  v**' 


Apr.  1857. 


FITTINGS  OF  THE  'FOX/ 


35 


fev^  very  small  stoves.  The  *  Fox'  had  been  the  property 
of  the  late  Sir  Richard  Stratton,  Bart.,  who  made  but  one 
trip  to  Norway  in  her,  and  she  was  purchased  by  Lady 
Franklin  from  hi .  executors  for  £2000. 

Having  thus  far  commenced  the  refit  of  the  vessel,  I 
turned  my  attention  to  the  selection  of  a  crew,  and  to  the 
requisite  clothing  and  provisions  for  our  voyage. 

Many  worthy  old  shipmates,  my  companions  in  the  pre 
vious  Arctic  voyages,  most  readily  volunteered  their  ser- 
vices, and  they  were  as  cheerfully  accepted,  for  it  was  mj 
anxious  wish  to  gather  round  me  well-tried  men,  who  were 
aware  of  the  duties  expected  of  them,  and  accustomed  to 
naval  discipline.  Hence,  out  of  the  twenty-five  sonls  compos- 
ing our  small  company,  seveuteen  had  previously  served  in 
the  Arctic  search. 

Expeditions  of  this  kind  are  always  popular  with  sea- 
men,  and  innumerable  were  the  applications  sent  to  me ; 
but  still  more  abundant  were  the  offers  to  "  serve  in  any 
capacity,''  which  poured  in  from  all  parts  of  the  country, 
from  people  of  all  classes,  many  of  whom  had  never  seen 
the  sea.  It  was,  of  course,  impossible  to  accede  to  any  of 
these  latter  proposals,  yet,  for  my  own  part,  I  could  not 
but  feel  gratified  at  such  convincing  proofs  that  the  spirit 
of  the  country  was  favorable  to  us,  and  that  the  ardent 
love  of  hardy  enterprise  still  lives  amongst  Englishmen,  aa 
of  old,  to  be  cherished,  I  trust,  as  the  most  valuable  of  oui 
national  characteristics — as  that  which  has  so  largely  con- 
tributed to  make  England  what  she  is. 

My  second  in  command  was  Lienteuant  W.  R.  Hobson, 
R.N.,  an  oflScer  already  distingnished  in  Arctic  service. 
Captain  Allen  Toung  joined  me  as  sailing-master,  con- 
tributing not  only  his  valuable  services  but  largely  of  hit 
private  funds  to  the  expedition.  This  gentleman  had  pre- 
viously commanded  some  of  our  very  finest  merchant  ships, 
th0  latest  being  the  steam-transport  "  Adelaide'^  of  2500 


t<';^  ia 


86 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 


Chap.  L 


tons :  he  had  but  recently  returned,  in  ill  health,  from  the 
Bliiek  Sea,  where  he  was  most  actively  employed  during 
the  greater  part  of  the  Crimean  campaign.  Nothing  that 
I  could  say  would  add  to  the  merit  of  such  singularly  gene- 
rous and  disinterested  conduct.  David  Walker,  M.D., 
volunteered  for  the  post  of  surgeon  and  naturalist;  he  also 
undertook  the  photographic  department;  and  just  before 
sailing,  Carl  Petersen,  now  so  well  known  to  Arctic  readers 
as  the  Esquimaux  interpreter  in  the  expeditions  of  Captain 
Penny  and  Dr.  Kane,  came  to  join  me  from  Copenhagen, 
although  landed  there  from  Greenland  only  six  days  pre- 
viously, after  an  absence  of  a  year  from  his  family  :  we  were 
indebted  to  Sir  Roderick  Murchison  and  the  electric  tele- 
grapk  for  securing  his  valuable  services. 

Like  the  Paris  omnibuses  we  were  at  length  tout  complet, 
and  quite  as  anxious  to  make  a  start. 

Ample  provisions  for  twenty-eight  months  were  embarked, 
including  preserved  vegetables,  lemon -juice,  and  pickles, 
for  daily  consumption,  and  preserved  meats  for  every  third 
day  :  also  as  much  of  Messrs.  AUsopp's  stoutest  ale  as  we 
could  find  room  for.  The  Government,  although  declining 
to  send  out  an  expedition,  yet  now  contributed  liberally  to 
our  supplies.  All  our  arms,  powder,  shot,  powder  for  ice- 
blasting,  rockets,  maroons,  and  signal  mortar,  were  fur- 
nished by  the  Board  of  Ordnance.  The  Admiralty  caused 
6682  lbs.  of  pemmican  to  be  prepared  for  our  use.  Not 
less  than  85,000  lbs.  of  this  invaluable  food  have  been  pre- 
pared since  1845  at  the  Royal  Clarence  Victualing  Yard, 
Gosport,  for  the  use  of  the  Arctic  Expeditions.  It  is  com- 
posed of  priu;e  beef  cut  into  thin  slices  and  dried  over  a 
wood  fire;  then  pounded  up  and  mixed  with  about  an 
eqaal  weight  of  melted  beef  fat.  The  pemmican  is  then 
pressed  into  cases  capable  of  containing  42  lbs.  each.  The 
Admiralty  supplied  us  with  all  the  requisite  ice-gear,  such 
M  saws  from  ten  to  eighteen  feet  in  length,  ice-anchors^  and 


LfcMCftSTEW^SOUl 


FIG.    1. 


¥ 


lEXtCH   ItAP  OF  THB  DRIFT  OF  TUB   *  FOX*    DOWH    BAFVI>'tl  BAY   :y 

THB   PI.OATINH    Ii;K. 


.  rn 


u-..m 


:  ■:!"l 


•     •  >; 


t^ 


^v■ 


,.)' 


i4 


^■  ''.'  ^11 


Lpr.  185 

lcc-cla\> 
|i'inon-j 
jhiirls,  ( 
I'hich  h 
loard  c 
lautical 
)ut  to  Q 
If  in  8t( 
for  such 

The 
the  sum 
>f  magn 
)ur  anti( 
[agneti 

Being 

formerly 

gratified 

ICIub,  of 

jmembers 

ling  my  ^ 

[Club;  an 

of  the  ] 

Toy  age. 

posed  fo 

had  pre' 

IStratton 

Throu 
I  consts 
earnest 
Drought 
in  in  hei 
and  an  c 
vivors  ol 
at  least, 
•neir  hei 


Lpr.  1857.    AfcSrSTANCB  FROM  PUBLIC  DEPARTMENTS.        33 

Ice-claws :  also  with  our  winter  housing,  medicines,  pure 
L'lnon-juioi,  seamen's  library,  hyJrographical  instruments, 
•hiirip,  chronometers,  and  an  ample  supply  of  arctic  clothing 
rhich  had  remained  in  store  from  former  expeditions.  The 
loard  of  Trade  contributed  a  variety  of  meteorological  and 
lautical  instruments  and  journals ;  and  I  found  that  I  had 
)nt  to  ask  of  these  departments  for  what  was  required,  and 
If  in  store  it  was  at  once  granted.  I  asked,  however,  only 
for  such  things  as  were  indispensably  necessary. 

The  President  and  Council  of  the  Royal  Society  voted 
the  sum  of  50^  from  their  donation  fund  for  the  purchase 
)f  magnetic  and  other  scientific  instruments,  in  order  that 
)ur  anticipated  approach  to  so  interesting  a  locality  as  tho 
[agnetic  Pole  might  not  be  altogether  barren  of  results. 

Being  desirous  to  retain  for  my  vessel  the  privileges  she 
formerly  enjoyed  as  a  yacht,  my  wishes  were  very  promptly 
gratified ;  in  the  first  instance  by  the  Royal  Harwich  Yacht 
[Club,  of  which  my  officers  and  myself  were  enrolled  as 
lembers — the  Commodore,  A.  Arcedeckne,  Esq.,  present- 
ling  my  vessel  with  the  handsome  ensign  and  burgee  of  the 
[Club;  and  shortly  afterwards  by  my  being  elected  a  member 
of  the  Royal  Victoria  Yacht  Club  for  the  period  of  my 
voyage.  Lastly,  upon  the  very  day  of  sailing,  I  was  pro- 
posed for  the  Royal  Yacht  Squadron,  to  which  the  yacht 
had  previously  belonged  when  the  property  of  Sir  Richard 
Stratton. 

Throughout  the  whole  period  required  for  our  equipment, 
I  constantly  experienced  the  heartiest  co-operation  and 
earnest  good  will  from  all  with  whom  my  varied  duties 
orought  me  in  contact.  Deep  sympathy  with  Lady  Frank- 
in  in  her  distress,  her  self-devotion  and  sacrifice  of  fortune, 
and  an  earnest  desire  to  extend  succor  to  any  chance  sur- 
vivors of  the  ill-fated  expedition  who  might  still  exist,  or 
at  least,  to  ascertain  their  fate,  and  rescue  from  oblivion 
•neir  heroic  deeds,  seemed  the  natural  promptings  of  every 


H 


■  ,4 


■■ 


■     .(• 


40 


LADY  FRANKLIN'S  VISIT. 


Chap.  I 


I 


honest  English  heart.  It  is  needless  to  add  that  this  ex* 
perience  of  public  opinion  confirmed  my  own  impression 
that  the  glorious  mission  intrusted  to  me  was  in  reality  a 
great  national  duty.  I  could  not  but  feel  that,  if  the 
gigantic  and  admirably  equipped  national  expeditions  sent 
out  on  precisely  the  same  duty,  and  reflecting  so  murh 
credit  upon  the  Board  of  Admiralty,  were  ranked  amongst 
the  noblest  eflForts  in  the  cause  of  humanity  any  nation  ever 
engaged  in,  and  that,  if  high  honor  was  awarded  to  all  cora- 
posing  those  splendid  expeditions,  surely  the  effort  became 
still  more  remarkable  and  worthy  of  approbation  when  its 
means  were  limited  to  one  little  vessel,  containing  but 
twenty-five  souls,  equipped  and  provisioned  (although  effi- 
ciently, yet)  in  a  manner  more  according  with  the  limited 
resources  of  a  private  individual  than  with  those  of  the 
public  purse.  The  less  the  means,  the  more  arduous  I  felt 
was  the  achievement.  The  greater  the  risk — for  the  'Fox' 
was  to  be  launched  alone  into  those  turbulent  seas  from 
which  every  other  vessel  had  long  since  been  withdrawn — 
the  more  glorious  would  be  the  success,  the  more  honorable 
even  the  defeat,  if  again  defeat  awaits  us. 

Upon  the  last  day  of  June,  Lady  Franklin,  accompanied 
by  her  niece  Miss  Sophia  Cracroft,  and  Capt.  Maguire, 
R.  N.,  came  on  board  to  bid  us  farewell,  for  we  purposed 
sailing  in  the  evening.  Seeing  how  deeply  agitated  she 
was  on  leaving  the  ship,  I  endeavored  to  repress  the  enlhu- 
giasm  of  my  crew,  but  without  avail ;  it  found  vent  in  three 
prolonged,  hearty  cheers.  The  strong  feeling  which  prompted 
them  was  truly  sincere ;  and  this  unbidden  exhibition  of  it 
can  hardly  have  gratified  her  for  whom  it  was  intended 
more  than  it  did  myself. 

I  must  here  insert  the  only  written  instructions  I  could 
pievail  upon  Lady  Franklin  to  give  me ;  they  were  not 
read  until  the  '  Fox '  was  fairly  iu  the  Atlantic. 


Jciw,  1867.       LADY  FRANKLIN'S  INSTRUCTIONS. 


41 


Aberdeen.  JuTie  29,  1857. 

My  deae  Captain  M'Cuntock, 

You  have  kindly  invited  me  to  give  you  "  Instruc- 
tions/' but  I  cannot  bring  myself  to  feel  that  it  would  be 
right  in  me  in  any  way  to  influence  your  judgment  in  Ihe 
conduct  of  your  noble  undertaking  ;  and  indeed  I  have  no 
temptation  to  do  so,  since  it  appears  to  me  that  your  views 
are  almost  identical  with  those  which  I  had  independently 
formed  before  I  had  the  advantage  of  being  thoroughly 
possessed  of  yours.  But  had  this  been  otherwise,  I  trust 
you  would  have  found  me  ready  to  prove  the  implicit  confi' 
dence  I  place  in  you  by  yielding  ray  own  views  to  your 
more  enlightened  judgment ;  knowing  too  r.s  i  do  that  your 
whole  heart  also  is  in  the  cause,  even  as  my  own  is.  As  to 
the  objects  of  the  expedition  and  their  relative  importance, 
I  am  sure  you  know  that  the  rescue  of  any  possible  sur- 
vivor of  the  'Erebus'  and  'Terror'  would  be  to  me,  as  it 
would  be  to  you,  the  noblest  result  of  our  efforts. 

To  this  object  I  wish  every  other  to  be  subordinate ;  and 
next  to  it  in  importance  is  the  recovery  of  the  unspeakably 
precious  documents  of  the  expedition,  public  and  private, 
and  the  personal  relics  of  my  dear  husband  and  his  com- 
panions. 

And  lastly,  I  trust  it  may  be  in  your  power  to  confirm, 
directly  or  inferentially,  the  claims  of  my  husband's  expedi- 
tion to  the  earliest  discovery  of  the  passage,  which,  if  Dr. 
Rae's  report  be  true  (and  the  Government  of  our  country 
has  accepted  and  rewarded  it  as  such),  these  martyrs  in  a 
noble  cause  achieved  at  their  last  extremity,  after  five  long 
years  of  labor  and  suffering,  if  not  at  an  earlier  period. 

I  am  sure  yon  will  do  all  that  man  can  do  for  the  attain- 
ment of  all  these  objects ;  my  only  fear  is  that  you  may 
Bpend  yourselves  too  much  in  the  effort ;  and  you  must 
therefore  let  me  tell  you  how  much  dearer  to  me  even  thav 


:^' 


0->i 


!/» 


49 


ORKNEYS  AND  GREENLAND. 


Cham  Xclt,  1857. 


any  of  them  is  the  preservation  of  the  valaable  lives  of  tbi 
little  band  of  heroes  who  are  your  companions  and  fol. 
lowers. 

May  God  in  his  great  mercy  preserve  yon  all  from  barn 
amidst  tho  labors  and  perils  which  await  you,  and  restore 
you  to  us  in  health  and  safety  as  well  as  honor  I  As  to  the 
honor  I  can  have  no  misgiving.  It  will  be  yours  as  muck 
if  you  fail  (since  you  may  fail  in  spite  of  every  effort)  as  if 
you  succeed ;  and  be  assured  that,  under  any  and  all  cir- 
cumstances whatever,  such  is  my  unbounded  confidence  is 
yoQ,  you  will  ever  possess  and  be  entitled  to  the  enduriog 
gratitude  of  your  sincere  and  attached  friend, 

Jane  Franklin. 


!il 


^■'« 


III 


We  were  not  destined  to  get  to  sea  that  evening.     The  i 
'  Fox,'  hitherto  during  her  brief  career,  accustomed  only  to 
the  restraint  imposed  upon  a  gilded  pet  in  summer  seas, 
seemed  to  have  got  an  inkling  that  her  duty  henceforth  was 
to  combat  with  difficulties,  and,  entering  fully  into  the 
spirit  of  the  cruise,  answered   her  helm  so   much  more 
readily  than  the  pilot  expected  that  she  ran  aground  upon 
the  bar.     She  was  promptly  shored  up,  and  remained  in  tiiat; 
position  until  next  morning,  when  she  floated  off  unhurt  at! 
high  water,  and  commenced  her  long  and  lonely  voyage. 

Scarcely  had  we  left  the  busy  world  behind  us  when  we  I 
were  actively  engaged  in  making  arrangements  for  present! 
comfort  and  future  exertion.  How  busy,  how  happy,  and  j 
how  full  of  hope  we  all  were  then ! 

On  the  night  of  the  2d  of  July  we  passed  through  the! 
Pentland  Firth,  where  the  tide  rushing  impetuously  against  { 
a  strong  wind  raised  up  a  tremendous  sea,  amid  which 
the  little  vessel  struggled  bravely  under  steam  and  canvas. 
The  bleak  wild  shores  of  Orkney,  the  still  wilder  pilot's  | 
erew,  and  their  hoarse  screams  and  unintelligible  dialect, 
the  shrill  cry  of  innumerable  sea-birds,  the  howling  breeze 


Cham  ^■oi.r,  1857. 


8PITZBERQEN  ICB 


48 


Ind  angry  sea,  made  us  feel  as  if  we  had  suddenly  awoke  in 

Ircenland  itself.    The  southern  extremity  of  that  ice-locked 

lontincnt  became  visible  on  the  12th.    It  is  quaintly  named 

^upe  Farewell ;  but  whether  by  some  sanguine  outward- 

kouiid  adventurer  who  fancied  that  in  leaving  Greenland 

behind  him  he  had  already  secured  his  passage  to  Cathay ; 

^r  whether  by  the  wearied  homesick  mariner,  feebly  escaping 

rom  the  grasp  of  winter  in  his  shattered  bark,  and  firmly 

purposing  to  bid  a  long  farewell  to  this  cheerless  land,  his- 

|ory  altogether  fails  to  enlighten  us. 

From  January  until  July  this  coast  is  usually  rendered 
Inapproachable  by  a  broad  margin  of  heavy  ice,  which 
li'ifts  there  from  the  vicinity  of  Spitzbergen,  and,  lapping 
[ound  the  Cape,  extends  alongshore  to  the  northward  about 
}s  far  as  Baal's  River,  a  distance  of  250  miles.     Although 

effectually  blockades  the  ports  of  South  Greenland  for 

Ihe  greater  part  of  the  summer,  and  is  justly  dreaded  by 

[he  captains  of  the  Greenland  traders,  it  confers  important 

^eneGts  upon  the  Greenlander  by  bearing  to  his  shores  im- 

lense  numbers  of  seals  and  many  bears.    The  same  current 

rhich  conveys  hither  all  this  ice  is  also  freighted  with  a 

^arcely  less  valuable  supply  of  driftwood  from  the  Siberian 

rivers.  ' 

About  this  time,  one  of  my  crew  showing  symptoms  of 
liseased  lungs,  I  determined  to  embrace  the  earliest  oppor- 
tunity of  sending  him  home  out  of  a  climate  so  fatal  to 
[liui>e  who  are  thus  affected ;  and  having  learnt  from  Mr. 
*etersen,  who  had  quitted  Greenland  only  in  April  last, 
fhrtt  a  vessel  would  very  soon  leave  Frederickshaab  for  Co- 
)onhagen,  I  resolved  to  go  to  that  place  in  order  to  catch 
[his  homeward-bound  ship. 

It  was  necessary  to  push  through  the  Spitzbergen  ice,  and 

ro  fortunately  succeeded  in  doing  so  after  eighteen  hours 

)f  buffeting  with  this  formidable  enemy ;  at  first  we  found 

It  tolerably  loose,  and  the  wind  being  strong  and  favorable, 


ii_i_«<' 


m 


44 


FINE  ARCTIC  SCENERT. 


Oiui 


II! 


we  thumped  along  pleasantly  enough ;  but  as  we  adranctil 
the  ice  became  much  more  closely  packed,  a  thick  fog  ml 
on,  and  many  hard  knocks  were  exchanged  ;  at  length  o^ 
steam  carried  us  through  into  the  broad  belt  of  clear  waie 
between  the  ice  and  land,  which  Petersen  assures  me  alwaj 
exists  here  at  this  season. 

The  dense  fog  now  prevented  further  progress,  andil 
evening  closed  in  I  gave  up  all  hope  of  improvement  fj 
the  night,  when  suddenly  the  fog  rolled  back  upon  i^l 
land,  disclosing  some  islets  close  to  us,  then  the  niggfil 
points  of  mainland,  and  at  length,  lifting  altogether,  tiij 
distant  snowy  mountain-peaks  against  a  deep  blue  sky. 

The  evening  became  bright  and  delightful ;  the  whoil 
extent  of  coast  was  fringed  with  innumerable  islets,  back! 
by  lofty  mountains,  and,  being  richly  tinted  by  a  gloriugi 
western  sun,  formed  an  unusually  splendid  sight.  Qrm 
land  unveiled  to  our  anxious  gaze  that  memorable  evei)iii| 
all  the  magnificence  of  her  natural  beauty.  Was  it  to  m 
come  us  that  she  thus  cast  off  her  dingy  outer  mantle,  amj 
shone  forth  radiant  with  smiles  ? — such  winning  smiles  I 

A  faint  streak  of  mist,  which  we  could  not  account  fo! 
appeared  to  float  across  a  low,  wide  interval  in  the  mountay 
range ;  the  telescope  revealed  its  true  choracter, — it  n 
a  portion  of  the  distant  glacier.  We  found  ourselves  upct 
the  Tallard  Bank,  30  miles  north  of  our  port,  having  bea 
rapidly  carried  northwards  by  the  S|)itzbergen  current. 

July  20lh. — This  morning  the  chief  trader  of  the  settle] 
ment,  or,  as  he  is  more  usually  styled  by  the  English,  tin 
Governor,  came  off  to  us,  and  his  pilot  soon  conducted 
into  the  safe  little  harbor  of  Frederickshaab.     I  was  muc4 
gratified  to  leani  that  we  were  just  in  time  to  secure  a  pa 
sage  home  for  our  ailing  shipmate. 

For  trading  purposes  Greenland  is  monopolized  by  tlij 
Danish  Government ;  its  Esquimaux  and  mixed  populatioj 
Amount  to  about  7000  souls.     About  1000  Danes  rcsid 


I  ty,  1847. 


DANISH  ESTABLISHMENTS. 


lues  resid 


[onstantly  there  for  the  purpose  of  condacting  the  trade, 
rhich  consists  almost  exclusively  in  the  exchange  of  Euro- 
pean goods  for  oil  and  the  skins  of  seals,  reindeer,  and  a 
>w  other  animals. 

The  Esquimaux  are  not  subject  to  Danish  laws,  but 
Lithough  proud  of  their  nominal  independence  they  are 
jincercly  attached  to  the  Danes,  and  with  abundant  reason; 

Lutheran  clergyman,  a  doctor,  and  a  schoolmaster,  whose 
idty  it  is  to  give  gratuitous  instruction  and  relief,  are  paid 
\y  the  Government,  and  attached  to  each  district;  and 
rhen  these  improvident  people  are  in  distress,  which  not 
kiifrequently  happens  during  the  long  winters,  provisiuns 
ire  issued  to  them  free  of  cost ;  spirits  are  strictly  pro- 
hibited. All  of  them  have  become  Christians,  and  many 
Ian  read  and  write. 

Have  we  English  done  more,  or  as  much,  for  the  abo- 
hgines  in  any  of  our  numerous  colonies,  and  especially  for 
m  Esquimaux  within  our  own  territories  of  Labrador  and 
[udson's  Bay  ? 

Greenland  is  divided  into  two  inspectorates,  the  northera 
[id  southern;  the  inspector  of  the  latter  division.  Dr.  Rink, 
lad  arrived  at  Frederickshaab  upon  his  summer  round  of 
fisits  only  the  day  previous  to  ourselves.  He  came  oa 
koard  to  cull  upon  me,  and  after  Divine  service  I  landed, 
^nd  enjoyed  a  ramble  with  him  over  the  moss-61ad  hills. 
lur  first  meeting  was  in  North  Greenland,  in  1848 ;  we 
lad  not  seen  one  another  since,  so  we  had  much  to  talk 
^bout.  Dr.  Rink  is  a  gentleman  of  acknowledged  talent,  a 
iistinguished  traveler,  and  is  thoroughly  conversant  with  the 
Jciences  of  geology  and  botany. 

Unfortunately  for  me  his  excellent  work  on  Greenland 
lias  not  been  translated  into  English. 

We  were  kindly  permitted  to  purchase  eight  tons  of  coals, 
md  such  small  things  as  were  required ;  the  only  fresh  sup- 
plies to  be  obtainod  beside  codfish,  which  was  abundanti 


,    )    I- J 


!■ 


■  ■'i\M 


'^i^ 


">•■     '"'  >:  A 


46 


FREDERICKSIIAAB.  DAVIS'  STRAITS. 


CUAf. 


conRi»ted  of  a  very  few  ptarmigan  and  hares,  and  a  conpie  \ 
of  kids;  these  lust  are  scarce.     Some  goats  exist,  but  fo;, 
eight  months  out  of  the  year  thej  are  shut  up  in  a  house 
and  even  now  —  in  midsummer — are  only  let  out  in  tl<l 
daytime.     We  also  purchased  of  the  Esquimaux  some  speci. 
mens  of  Esquimaux  workmanship,  such  as  models  of  tlit 
native  dresses,  kayaks,  etc.,  also  birds'  skins  and  eggs.  I 
saw  fine  specimens  of  a  white  swan,  and  of  a  bird  said  to 
be  extremely  rare  in  Greenland  —  it  was  a  species  of  grclx, 
Podiceps  crUtatuSt  I  imagine.     Frederickshaab  is  just  not 
well  supplied  with  wood  :  besides  on  unseaworthy  brig,  tht 
wreck  of  a  large  timber-ship  lay  on  the  beach,  and  ai 
abandoned  timber- vessel,  which  was  met  with  between  Ice- 
land and  Greenland  in  July  by  Prince  Napoleon,  drirtei 
upon  the  coast  30  miles  to  the  northward  in  the  folio wlu|:| 
September.  _ 


ii'i 


Jnr.  18«7. 


LICHTINVILI. 


47 


CHAPTER    II. 

[FixkernMi  and  Eiiquimnnz  —  The  '  Fox '  reaohea  DIaoo  —  DUoo  Fiord  - 
Bummer  aoeoerj  —  Wuigat  Strait  —  Coaling  from  th«  mine—  Purchae- 
ing  Esquimaux   dogs — Heavj  gnle  off  Upernivilc  —  Melville  Buj-^ 
Tlie  middle  ioe  —  The  great  glacier  of  Greenland  —  Reindeer  cruM 
the  gluoier. 

23^  July, — Sailed  the  day  before  yesterday  for  Qodbaab. 
iTbe  fog  was  thick,  and  wiud  strong  and  contrary,  but  the 
Icarrent  being  favorable  we  found  ourselves  off  the  small 
lout-station  of  Fiskernaes,  when  early  this  morning  our  fore 
Itopmast  was  carried  away ;  this  accident  induced  me  to  run 
|in  and  anchor  for  the  purpose  of  repairing  the  damage. 

After  passing  within  the  outer  islets,  the  Moravian  settle- 
Iment  of  Licbtenfels  came  in  view  upon  the  right  hand ;  it 
Iconsists  of  a  large,  sombre-looking  wooden  bouse,  over 
Iwhicb  is  a  belfry,  a  smaller  wooden  house,  and  about  a 
Idozen  native  huts,  roofed  with  sods,  and  scarcely  distinguish- 
|al)le  from  the  ground  they  stand  on,  even  at  a  very  short 
distance.  The  land  immediately  behind  is  a  barren  rocky 
steep,  now  just  sufficiently  denuded  of  snow  to  look  deso- 
llate  in  the  eztr  ime.  A  strong  tide  was  setting  out  of  tha 
Ifiord  as  we  approached,  and  anchored  in  the  rocky  little 
cove  of  Fiskernaes ;  here  we  were  not  only  shelterid  from 
the  wind,  but  the  steep  dark  rocks  within  a  ship's  length  on 
leach  side  of  us,  reflected  a  strong  heat,  whilst  large  mosqni- 
Itoes  lost  no  time  in  paying  us  their  annoying  visits.  This 
remote  spot  has  been  visited  by  the  Arctic  voragrrg,  Cap- 
tain Inglefleld,  R.N.,  and  Dr.  Kane,  TJ  S.I  ...  ^^  still 
more  recently  by  Prince  Napoleon.    Dr.  E.un&  s  'iccoont 


1:  i  j3 


^  ■» 

S!     1". 


m 


^r}*^. 


4S 


FISEERNAUS. 


Chap.  II  i 


of  his  visit  is  full  and  very  interesting.  Cod-fishing  wan 
now  in  full  activity,  and  the  few  men  not  so  employed  had 
gone  up  the  fiord  to  hunt  reindeer. 

The  solitary  dwelling-hoase  belongs,  of  coarse,  to  the 
chief  trader,  and  is  a  model  of  cleanliness  and  order ;  built 
of  wood,  it  exhibits  all  the  resources  of  the  painter's  art; 
the  exterior  is  a  dull  red,  the  window-frames  are  white, 
floors  yellow,  wooden  partitions  and  low  ceilings  pale  blue, 
The  lady  of  the  house  had  resided  here  for  about  eight 
years,  and  appeared  to  us  to  be,  and  acknowledged  sht 
was,  heartily  tired  of  the  solitude.     She  gave  me  coffee, 
and  some  seeds  for  cultivation  at  our  winter  quarters;  these 
were  lettuce,  spinach,  turnips,  carraway  and  peas,  the  latter 
being  the  common  kind  used  on  board  ship;  usually  thejj 
have  only  produced  leaves  on  this  spot,  but  once  the  young  I 
peas  grew  large  enough  for  the  table.     I  expressed  a  w 
to  see  the  interior  of  an  Esquimaux  tent.     Petersen  pulled  I 
aside  the  thin  membrane  of  some  animal  which  hung  across] 
the  doorway,  and  served  to  exclude  the  wind,  but  admitted 
light,  for,  although  past  midnight,  the  sun  was  up.     Some 
seven  or  eight  individuals  lay  within,  closely  packed  upon  I 
tlie  ground  ;  the  heads  of  old  and  young,  males  and  females,! 
bding  just  visible  above  the  common  covering.     Going  to 
bod  here,  only  means  lying  down  with  yonr  clothes  on,  upon 
a  reindeer  skin,  wherever  yon  can  find  room,  and  pulling 
another  fur-robe  over  you. 

Fiskernaes  appeared  to  be  a  sunny  little  nook,  yet  all  tbel 
people  we  saw  there  were  suffering  from  colds  and  coughs, 
and  many  deaths  had  occurred  dnring  the  spring.  The 
boys  brought  us  handfuls  of  rough  garnets,  some  of  then  | 
as  large  as  walnuts,  receiving  with  evident  satisfaction  bis-j 
ciiits  in  exchange.  ^ 

By  next  morning  we  were  able  to  put  to  sea,  and  earljl 
on  the  day  following  arrived  ofif  the  large  settlement  of 
Godhaab;   it  is  in  the  "Gilbert  Sound''  of  Davis,  and! 


JptT,  1857. 


THE  'FOX'  REACHES  DISCO. 


49 


appears  in  many  old  charts  as  Baal's  River.  Almost  ad- 
joining  Godhaab  is  the  Moravian  settlement  of  New  Herrn- 
liut.  Here  it  was  that  Hans  Egede^^^  the  missionary  father 
of  Greenland,  established  himself  in  1721,  and  thus  re- 
opened the  communication  between  Europe  and  Greenland, 
which  had  ceased  upon  the  extinction  of  its  early  Scandi- 
navian settlers,  in  the  14th  century. 

A  few  years  after  Egede's  successful  beginning,  the  Mo- 
ravian mission  still  existing  under  the  name  of  New  Herrn- 
hot  was  established.  At  present  the  Moravians  support 
four  missions  in  Greenland;  they  are  not  subject  to  the 
Danish  authorities,  but  are  not  permitted  in  any  way  to 
trade. 

As  we  were  about  to  enter  the  harbor,  the  Danish  vessel 
—the  sole  object  of  our  visit — came  out,  so  not  a  moment 
was  lost  in  sending  on  board  our  invalid  and  our  letter-bag, 
and  in  landing  our  coasting  pilot.  This  man  had  brought 
us  up  from  Frederickshaab  for  the  very  moderate  sum  of 
three  pounds ;  he  was  an  Esquimaux,  and,  as  the  brother 
of  poor  Hans,  Dr.  Kane's  unhappy  dog-driver,  was  received 
with  favor  amongst  us,  and  soon  won  our  esteem  by  his 
quiet,  obliging  disposition,  as  also  by  his  ability  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duty ;  he  was  so  keensighted,  and  so  vigilant, 
it  was  quite  a  'comfort  to  have  him  ob  board  during  the 
foggy  weather,  for  he  could  recognise,  on  the  instant,  every 
rock  or  point,  even  when  dimly  looming  through  the  mist. 
We  were  not  long  in  discovering  that  his  absence  was  a 
loss  to  us. 

When  passing  out  to  the  north  of  the  Kookornen  Islands, 
the  wind  suddenly  failed,  and  at  the  same  time  a  swell  from 
to  seaward  reached  us ;  we  therefore  had  considerable  diffi- 
culty in  towing  the  ship  clear  of  the  rocks ;  for  nearly  half 
an  hour  our  position  was  most  critical.  . 

July  Z\st. — Anchored  at  Godhaven  (or  Lievely),  in 
Disco,  for  a  few  hours.     I  presented  a  letter  from  the  Di- 


I 


14  :i 


I 


xp  ■• 'i  A 

^' '  I'M 


■\.-.  ..'Ml 


R>1 


50 


DISCO  FIORD. 


Chap.  IL 


rectors  of  the  Royal  Greenland  Commerce  to  the  Inspector 
of  North  Greenland,  Mr.  Olrik,  authorising  him  to  furnish 
us  with  any  needful  supplies.  Our  only  wants  were  sledge- 
dogs  and  a  native  to  manage  them.  We  soon  obtained  ten 
of  the  former,  but  were  advised  to  go  into  Disco  Fiord, 
where  many  of  the  Esquimaux  were  busy  in  taking  and 
drying  salmon-trout,  and  where  some  would  most  probably 
be  obtained. 

I  was  much  pleased  with  Mr.  Olrik's  kind  reception  of 
me,  and  soon  found  him  to  be  not  only  agreeable  but  well 
informed ;  born  in  Greenland,  of  Danish  parents,  he  is 
thoroughly  conversant  with  the  language  and  habits  of  the 
Esquimaux,  and  has  devoted  much  of  his  leisure  time  in 
collecting  rare  specimens  of  the  animal,  vegetable,  and 
mineral  productions  of  the  country.  I  came  away  enriched 
by  some  fossils  from  the  fossil  forest  of  Atanekerdluk,  also 
with  specimens  of  native  coal. 

It  was  here  I  met  with  the  late  commanders  of  the 
whalers  'Gipsy'  and  'Undaunted,'  of  Peterhead,  which  had 
been  crushed  by  the  ice  in  Melville  Bay,  five  or  six  weeks 
previously;  all  the  other  whalers  had  returned  from  the 
north,  along  the  pack  edge,  and  passed  south  of  Disco. 
They  said  that  the  ice  in  Melville  Bay  was  all  broken  up, 
and  that  they  thought  we  should  find  but  little  difficulty  at 
this  late  period  in  passing  through  it  into  the  North  Water. 

Leaving  Godhaven  in  the  afternoon  with  a  native  pilot, 
we  found  ourselves  some  10  or  12  miles  up  Disco  Fiord  at 
an  early  hour  next  morning.  After  despatching  the  pilot 
to  announce  our  arrival  to  his  countrymen  at  their  fishing 
station,  1  or  8  miles  further  up,  the  Doctor  and  I  landed 
upon  the  north  side  to  explore. 

The  scenery  is  charming,  lofty  hills  of  trap  rock,  with 
unusually  rich  slopes  (for  the  TOth  parallel)  descending  to 
the  fiord,  and  strewed  with  boulders  of  gneiss  and  granite 
We  found  the  blue  campanula  holding  a  conspicuous  place 


Aua.  1857. 


CHRISTIAN,   THE  DOG-DRIVER. 


61 


amongst  the  wild  flowers.  I  do  not  know  a  more  enticing 
gpot  in  Greenland  for  a  week's  shooting,  fishing,  and  yacht- 
ing than  Disco  Fiord ;  hares  and  ptarmigan  may  be  found 
along  the  bases  of  the  hills ;  ducks  are  most  abundant  upon 
the  fiord,  and  delicious  salmon-trout  very  plentiful  in  the 
rivers.  Formerly  Disco  was  famed  for  the  large  size  and 
abundance  of  its  reindeer ;  but  for  some  unexplained  reason 
they  now  confine  themselves  to  the  mainkad. 

At  this  season  the  natives  of  Godhaab  resort  here  and 
enjoy  the  trout  fishery, — it  is  truly  their  season  of  harvest : 
the  weather  is  pleasant,  food  delicious  and  abundant,  and 
tiie  labor  an  agreeable  pastime. 

Some  kayaks  soon  came  oiT  to  the  ship,  bringing  salmon- 
trout,  both  fresh  and  smoked. 

A  young  Esquimaux,  named  Christian,  volunteered  his 
services  as  our  dog-driver,  and  was  accepted ;  he  is  about 
twenty-three  years  of  age,  unmarried,  and  an  orphan.  The 
men  soon  thoroughly  washed  and  cropped  him  :  soap  and 
scissors  being  novelties  to  an  Esquimaux  :  they  then  rigged 
liini  in  sailor's  clothes ;  he  was  evidently  not  at  home  in 
tlicm,  but  was  not  the  less  proud  of  his  improved  appearance, 
as  reQected  in  the  admiring  glances  of  his  countrymen. 

"We  now  hastened  away  to  the  Waigat  Strait  to  complete 
our  coals.  When  passing  Godhaven,  tlie  pilot  was  launched 
olT  our  deck  in  his  little  kayak  without  stopping  the  ship ! 
As  a  kayak  is  usually  about  18  feet  long,  8  inches  deep,  and 
only  16  or  IT  inches  wide,  it  requires  great  expertness  to 
perform  such  a  feat  without  the  addition  of  a  capsize. 

ith  August. — Entered  the  Waigat  yesterday  morning, 
slowly  steaming  through  a  sea  of  glass.  Its  surface  was 
only  rippled  by  the  myriads  of  eider-ducks  which  extended 
over  it  for  several  miles :  most  of  them  were  immature  in 
plumage,  and  were  probably  the  birds  of  last  year. 

After  rnnning  about  twenty-four  miles,  toward  cveningr 
we  approached  a  low  range  of  sandstone  cliffs  on  the  Di"' 


t.'.V. 


■v!>-  1,1 


f'M 


52 


COALING— WAIGAT    SCENERY. 


Chap.  II. 


^ilP 


shore,  in  which  horizontal  seams  of  coal  were  seen.  Here 
we  anchored,  and  immediately  commenced  coaling.  It  was 
fortunate  we  did  so,  for  soon  it  began  to  blow  hard ;  and 
ere  noon  to-day  we  were  obliged,  for  the  safety  of  the 
ship,  to  leave  our  exposed  anchorage,  having  however 
secured  eight  or  nine  tons  of  tolerable  coal.  Formerly 
these  coal  seams  were  worked  for  the  supply  of  the  neigh- 
boring settlements,  but  for  several  years  past  it  has  been 
found  more  profitable  and  convenient  to  send  out  coals 
from  Denmark,  and  thus  permit  the  natives  to  devote  their 
whole  time  to  the  seal-fishery. 

The  Waigat  scenery  is  unusually  grand ;  the  strait  varies 
from  3  to  5  leagues  in  width ;  on  each  side  are  mountains 
of  3000  feet  in  height.  The  Disco  side,  upon  which  we 
landed,  is  composed  of  trap,  sandstone  appearing  only  at 
the  beach,  and  occasionally  rising  in  clifis  to  about  100 
feet.  Upon  the  moss-clad  slopes  many  fragments  of  quartz 
and  zeolite  were  met  with.  The  north  end  of  Disco  is 
almost  a  precipice  to  its  snow-capped  summit,  which  '  4000 
feet  high. 

5lh. — A  pleasant  fair  wind  carries  us  rapidly  northward, 
passing  mai^y  icebergs.  Our  rigging  is  richly  garnished 
with  split  codfish,  which  we  hoped  would  dry  and  keep ; 
but  a  warm  day  in  Disco  Fiord,  and  much  rain  with  a  south- 
erly gale  in  the  Waigat,  have  destroyed  it  for  our  own  use. 
It  is  however  still  valuable  as  food  for  our  dogs.  I  am  very 
anxious  to  complete  my  stock  of  these  our  native  auxilia- 
ries, as  without  them  we  cannot  hope  to  explore  all  the 
lands  which  it  is  the  object  of  our  voyage  to  search.  We 
could  only  obtain  ten  at  Godhaven,  and  require  twenty 
more. 

Qth. — By  Petersen's  intimate  knowledge  of  the  coast  we 
were  enabled  to  run  close  into  the  little  settlement  of 
Proven  during  the  night,  and  obtain  a  few  dogs  and 
dogs'  food.     This  morning  we  reached   the  extreme  sta- 


Avo.  1857. 


HEAVY   GALE    OFF    UPEUXIVIK. 


53 


tion  of  Upernivik,  the  last  trace  of  civilization  we  shall 
meet  with  for  some  time.  It  is  in  lat.  72f  N.  Here  Pcter- 
Ecii  resided  for  twelve  of  the  eighteen  years  he  has  spent  in 
Greenland,  and  his  unlooked-for  re-appearance  astonished 
and  delighted  the  small  community,  more  especially  Gover- 
nor Fleischer  and  his  household,  who  received  us  with  « 
most  hearty  welcome. 

lih. — Yesterday,  when  we  hove  to  off  Upernivik,  the 
weather  was  very  bad  and  rapidly  growing  worse,  therefore 
our  stay  was  limited  to  a  couple  of  hours.  The  last  letters 
for  home  were  landed,  fourteen  dogs  and  a  quantity  of 
se.il's  flesh  for  them  embarked,  and  the  ship's  head  was 
turned  seaward. 

It  was  then  blowing  a  southerly  gale,  with  overcast, 
murky  sky,  and  a  heavy  sea  running.  When  four  miles  out- 
side the  outer  island,  breakers  were  suddenly  discovered 
ahead,  only  just  in  time  to  avoid  the  ledge  of  sunken  rocks 
upon  which  the  sea  was  beating  most  violently.  Many 
Bueh  rocks  lie  at  considerable  distances  beyond  the  islands 
which  border  this  coast,  and  greatly  add  to  the  dangers 
of  its  navigation.  Being  now  fairly  at  sea,  and  the  ship  under 
easy  sail  for  the  night,  I  went  early  to  bed  in  the  hope  of 
sleeping.  I  had  been  up  all  the  previous  night,  naturally 
anxious  about  the  ship  threading  her  \<ay  through  so  many 
dangers,  uncertain  about  being  able  to  complete  the  number 
of  our  sledge-dogs,  and  much  occupied  in  closing  my  cor- 
respondence, to  which  there  would  be  an  end  for  at  least  a 
year.  All  this  over,  the  uncertain  future  loomed  ominously 
before  me.  The  great  responsibilities  I  had  undertaken 
seemed  now  and  at  once  to  fall  with  all  their  weight  upon  me. 
A  mental  whirlpool  was  the  consequence,  which,  backed 
by  the  material  storm,  and  the  howling  of  the  wretched 
dogs  in  concert  on  deck,  together  with  the  tumbling  about 
of  every  thing  below,  long  kept  sleep  in  abeyance. 

One  thought  and  feeling  predominated :  it  was  gratitade, 


■t'^'v-^'- 


54 


PASSAGE    THROUGH    BAFFIN'S   BAY.        Chap.  II 


deep  and  humble,  for  the  success  which  had  hitherto  at- 
tended us,  and  for  some  narrow  escapes  which  I  must  ever 
regard  as  providential. 

Yesterday's  gale  has  given  place  to  calm,  foggy  weather. 
An  occasional  iceberg  is  seen.  The  officers  amuse  them- 
selves in  trying  new  guns,  and  shooting  sea-birds  for  our 
dogs. 

Governor  Fliescher  told  me  yesterday  that  for  the  last 
four  weeks  southerly  winds  prevailed,  and  that  only  a  fort- 
night ago  his  boat  was  unable  to  reach  the  Loom  Cliffs  at 
Cape  Shackleton,  50  miles  north  of  TIpernivik,  in  consequence 
of  the  ice  being  pressed  in  against  the  land.  I  fear  these 
same  winds  have  closed  together  the  ice  which  occupies  the 
middle  of  Davis'  Strait  (hence  called  th^  middle  ice),  so 
that  we  shall  not  be  able  to  penetrate  it.  ^lowever,  we  are 
standing  out  to  make  the  attempt. 

To  the  uninitiated  it  may  be  as  well  to  observe  that  each 
winter  the  sea  called  Baffin's  Bay  freezes  over ;  in  spring 
this  vast  body  of  ice  breaks  up,  and  drifting  southward  in 
a  mass — called  the  main-pack,  or  the  middle  ice — obstructs 
the  passage  across  from  east  to  west. 

The  "North  Passage"  is  made  by  sailing  round  the 
north  end  of  this  pack ;  the  "  Middle  Passage,"  by  pushing 
through  it;  and  the  "Southern  Passage,"  by  passing  round 
its  southern  extreme  ;  but  seasons  do  occur  when  none  of 
these  routes  are  practicable. 

It  is  very  remarkable  that  southward  of  Disco  northerly 
winds  have  prevailed.  They  greatly  impeded  our  progress 
up  Davis'  Strait,  but  we  cheered  ourselves  with  the  hope 
that  they  would  effectually  clear  a  path  for  us  across  the 
northern  part  of  Baffin's  Bay. 

Sth. — Last  night  we  reached  the  edge  of  the  middle  ice, 
about  70  miles  to  the  west  of  Upeinivik,  aud  ran  southward 
along  *ts  edge  all  night.  This  morning,  in  thick  fog,  the 
■hip  was  caught  in  its  margin  of  loose  ice.    The  fog  soon 


Aug.  1857. 


f 


MELVILLE  BAY. 


55 


after  cleared  off,  and  we  saw  the  clear  sea  about  two  miles 
to  the  eastward,  whilst  all  to  the  west  was  impcnetrablo 
closely-paekcd  floe-pieces.  After  steaming  out  of  our  pre- 
dicament (a  matter  which  we  could  not  accomplish  under 
sail)  we  ran  on  to  the  southward  until  evening,  but  found 
the  pack  edge  still  composed  of  light  ice  very  clcsel/ 
pressed  together. 

Having  now  closely  examined  it  for  an  extent  of  40 
miles,  I  was  satisfied  that  we  could  not  force  a  passage 
through  it  across  Baffin's  Bay,  as  is  frequently  done  in  or- 
dinary seasons ;  therefore,  taking  advantage  of  a  fair  wind, 
we  steered  to  the  northward,  in  order  to  seek  an  opening  in 
that  direction. 

\2lh. — We  are  in  Melville  Bay ;  made  fust  this  afternoon 
to  an  iceberg,  which  lies  aground  in  58  fathoms  water, 
about  two  miles  from  Browne's  Islands,  and  between  them 
and  the  great  glacier  which  here  takes  the  place  of  the 
coast-line. 

We  have  got  thus  far  without  any  difficulty,  sailing  along 
the  edge  of  the  middle  ice ;  but  here  we  find  it  pressing  in 
against  Browne's  Islands,  and  covering  the  whole  bay  to 
the  northward,  quite  in  the  steep  face  of  the  glacier.  This 
is  evidently  the  result  of  long-continued  southerly  winds ; 
but  as  the  ice  is  very  much  broken  up,  we  may  expect  it  to 
move  off  rapidly  before  the  autumnal  northerly  winds  now 
due,  and  these  winds  invariably  remove  the  previous  season's 
ice.  All  that  we  know  of  Melville  Bay  navigation  in  Au- 
gust, is  derived  from  the  experience  of  Government  and 
private  searching  expeditions  during  eight  or  nine  seasons. 
My  own  three  previous  transits  across  it  were  made  in  this 
month.  The  whalers  either  get  through  in  June  or  July, 
or  give  up  the  attempt  as  being  too  late  for  their  fishing. 
It  frequently  happens  that  they  get  round  the  south  end  of 
the  middle  ice,  between  latitudes  66°  and  69°  N.,  and  up 
the  west  coast  of  Baffin's  Bay  late  in  the  season ;  bat  we 


GREAT  GLACIER  OP  GREENLAND. 


Cfap.  II 


have  no  accounts  of  these  voyagee,  nor  should  I  be  justified, 
at  this  late  period  of  the  season,  in  abandoning  the  prospect 
before  me,  in  order  to  attempt  a  route  which,  even  if  suc- 
cessful, would  lengthen  our  voyage  to  Barrow  Strait  by  700 
or  800  miles.  We  have  already  passed  what  is  usually  thu 
most  difficult  and  dangerous  part  of  the  Melville  Bay 
transit. 

There  is  much  to  excite  intense  admiration  and  wonder 
abound  us ;  one  cannot  at  once  appreciate  the  grandeur  of 
this  mighty  glacier,  extending  unbroken  for  40  or  50  miles. 
Its  sea-cli£fs,  about  5  or  6  miles  from  us,  appear  compara- 
tively low,  yet  the  icebergs  detached  from  it  are  of  the 
loftiest  description.  Here,  on  the  spot,  it  does  not  seem 
incorrect  to  compare  the  icebergs  to  mere  chippings  ofif  its 
edge,  and  the  floe-ice  to  the  thinnest  shavings. 

The  far-o£r  outline  of  glacier,  seen  against  the  eastern 
sky,  has  a  faint  tinge  of  yellow ;  it  is  almost  horizontal,  and 
of  unknown  distance  and  elevation. 

There  js  an  unusual  dearth  of  birds  and  seals ;  everything 
around  us  is  painfully  still,  excepting  when  an  occasional 
iceberg  splits  off  from  the  parent  glacier ;  then  we  hear  a 
rumbling  crash  like  distant  thunder,  and  the  wave  occasioned 
by  the  launch  reaches  us  in  six  or  seven  minutes,  and  makes 
the  ship  roll  lazily  for  a  similar  period.  I  cannot  imagine 
that  within  the  whole  compass  of  nature's  varied  aspects, 
there  is  presented  to  the  human  eye  a  scene  so  well  adapted 
for  promoting  deep  and  serious  reflection,  for  lifting  the 
thoughts  from  trivial  things  of  every  day  life  to  others  of 
the  highest  import. 

The  glacier  serves  to  remind  one  at  once  of  Time  and 
of  Eternity — of  time,  since  we  see  portions  of  it  break  off 
to  drift  and  melt  away ;  and  of  eternity,  since  its  downward 
march  is  so  extremely  slow,  and  its  augmentations  behind 
so  regular,  that  no  change  in  its  appearance  is  perceptible 
from  age  to  age.  If  even  the  untaught  savages  of  luxuriant 
tropical  regions  regard  the  earth  merely  as  a  temporary 


Ats.  1867. 


liEINDEEll  CllOSS  'HUE  ULACIEU. 


67 


abode,  Rurely  all  who  gaze  upon  this  ice-ovcrwhcImed  re- 
gion, this  wide  expanse  of  "terrestrial  wreck,"  must  be 
fiimilarly  assured  that  here  "  we  have  no  abiding  pJace." 

During  daytime  the  strong  glare  is  very  distressing, 
hence  the  subdued  light  of  midnight,  when  the  sun  just 
skims  along  the  northern  horizon,  is  much  the  most  agree- 
able part  of  the  twenty-four  hours ;  the  temperature  varies 
between  30®  and  40°  of  Fahrenheit. 

The  drift-ice  of  various  descriptions  about  us  is  con- 
btantly  in  motion  under  the  influence  of  mysterious  surface 
and  under  currents  (according  to  their  relative  depths  of 
floatation),  which  whirl  them  about  in  every  possible  di- 
rection. 

To  the  S.  E.  are  two  small  islands,  almost  enveloped  in 
the  glacier,  and  far  within  it  an  occasional  mountain-peak 
protrudes  from  beneath. 

From  observing  closely  the  variations  in  the  glacier  sur- 
face, I  think  we  may  safely  infer  that  where  it  lies  unbroken 
and  smooth,  the  supporting  land  is  level ;  and  where  much 
crevassed,  the  land  beneath  is  uneven.  The  crevassed  parts 
are  of  course  impassable,  but,  by  following  the  windings  of 
the  smooth  surface,  I  think  the  interior  could  be  reached 
Some  attempts  to  cross  the  glacier  in  South  Greenland 
have  failed,  yet,  by  studying  its  character  and  attending  to 
this  remark,  I  think  places  might  be  found  where  an  attempt 
would  succeed.  Mr.  Petersen  tells  me  that  the  Esquimaux 
of  Upernivik  are  unable  to  account  for  occasional  disap- 
pearances and  reappearances  of  immense  herds  of  reindeer, 
except  by  assuming  that  they  migrate  at  intervals  to  feed- 
intr-grounds  beyond  the  glacier,  the  surface  of  which  he 
also  says  is  smooth  enough  in  many  places  even  for  dog- 
sledges  to  travel  upon.  As  there  is  much  uninhabited  land, 
both  to  the  northward  and  southward  of  Upernivik,  I  do 
not  see  the  necessity  for  this  supposition.  The  habits  of 
the  Esquimaux  confine  them  almost  exclusively  to  the 
'islands  and  sea-coasts. 


MELVILLR  DAT. 


Chap.  IXL 


Chapter  hi. 


Uelville  Bay— Bcsf  i  ifl  Molrille  Bay— Signs  of  Winter— Tho  coming 
Itorm — Drifting  'd  IIip  pnok— Canine  appetite — Resigned  to  a  winter 
in  tho  pack — J  "rner  stolon  by  sharks — Tho  Arctic  shark — Wlilto 
Whales  and  Kilicrs. 

15//i  August. — Three  days  of  the  most  perfect  cnlm 
have  sadly  taxed  our  patience.  Lovely  bright  weather, 
but  scarcely  a  living  creature  seen.  This  afternoon  the 
anxiously-looked-for  north  wind  sprang  up,  and  immedi- 
ately the  light  ice  began  to  drift  away  before  it,  but  it  is  not 
strong  enough  to  influence  the  icebergs,  and  they  greatly 
retard  the  clearing  out  of  the  bay.  We  have  noticed  a  con- 
stant wind  oflf  the  glacier,  probably  the  result  of  its  cooling 
effect  upon  the  atmosphere ;  this  wind  does  not  extend 
more  than  3  or  4  miles  out  from  it. 

16/^. — One  of  the  loveliest  mornings  imaginable:  the 
icebergs  sparkled  in  the  sun,  and  the  breeze  was  just  suffi- 
ciently strong  to  ripple  the  patches  of  dark  blue  sea ;  be- 
yond this,  there  was  nothing  to  cheer  one  in  the  prospecL 
from  the  Crow's-nest  at  four  o'clock ;  but  little  change  had 
taken  place  in  the  ice ;  I  therefore  determined  to  run  back 
along  the  pack-edge  to  the  southwestward,  in  the  hope  that 
some  favorable  change  might  have  taken  place  further  off 
shore.  The  barometer  was  unusually  low,  yet  no  indication 
of  any  change  of  weather.  A  seaman's  chest  was  picked 
up ;  it  contained  only  a  spoon,  a  fork,  and  some  tin  can- 
isters, and  probably  drifted  here  from  the  southward,  where 
the  two  whale-ships  were  crushed  in  June,  affording  another 


Acq.  iy»1' 


MELVILLK  BAY. 


69 


proof  of  the  prevalence  of  southerly  winds.  As  we  steamed 
on,  the  ice  was  found  to  have  opened  considerably ;  it  fell 
calin,  and  mist  was  observed  rolling  along  the  glacier  from 
the  southward.  By  noon  a  S.  E.  wind  reached  us  ;  all  sail 
was  set,  the  leads  or  lanes  of  water  became  wider,  and  our 
hopes  of  speedily  crossing  Melville  Bay  rose  in  proportii  i 
as  our  speed  increased.  Wo  are  pursuing  our  course  with- 
out let  or  hindrance. 

n//». — The  fog  overtook  us  yesterday  evening,  and  at 
length,  unable  to  see  our  way,  we  made  fast  at  eleven 
o'clock  to  the  ice.  The  wind  had  freshened,  it  was  evi- 
dently blowing  tt  gale  outside  the  ice.  During  the  night 
we  drifted  rapidly  together  with  the  ice,  and  this  morning, 
on  the  clearing  oflf  of  the  fog,  we  steamed  and  sailed  on 
again,  threading  our  way  between  the  floes,  which  are  larger 
and  much  covered  with  dry  snow.  This  jvoning  we  again 
made  fast,  the  floes  having  closed  together,  cutting  off  ad- 
vance and  retreat.    A  wintry  night,  much  wind  and  snow. 

19//i. — Continued  strong  S.  E.  winds,  pressing  the  ice 
closely  together,  dark  sky  and  snow ;  everything  wears  a 
wintry  and  threatening  aspect ;  we  are  closely  hemmed  in, 
and  have  our  rudder  and  screw  unshipped.  This  recom- 
mencement of  S.  E.  winds  and  rapid  ebbing  of  the  small 
remaining  portion  of  summer  makes  me  more  anxious  about 
the  future  than  the  present.  Yesterday  the  weather  im- 
proved; and  by  working  for  thirteen  hours  we  got  the  ship 
out  of  licr  small  ice-creek  into  a  Jarger  .■,pace  of  water,  and 
I::  EG  doing  advanced  a  mil-e  a.itl  v  hdf  It  is  now  calm, 
bill  the  ice  still-  drifts,  as  :ve  wou'-d  'yls\  it,  to  the  N.W. 
Yesterday  wo  were  wiihin  12  miles  o*'  tho  position  of  the 
*Entwprise' upon  llio  flame  day  in  1848,  and  under  very 
similar  conditions  jf  weiither  and  ire  Jso. 

20th. — No  {avorable  ioe-dr^ft:  this  detention  has  become 
most  painful,  The  'Enterprise'  reached  the  open  water 
upon  this  day  in  1848,  within  50  miles  of  our  present  posi- 


60 


BKHET  IN  MBVLILLE   DAT. 


Cbap.  Ill 


tion ;  unfortunntely  our  prospects  arc  not  so  clicerlng. 
There  is  no  relative  motion  in  the  floes  of  ice,  except  a 
gradual  closinp;  together,  the  small  spaces  and  streaks  of 
water  being  still  further  diminished.  The  temperature  has 
fallen,  and  is  usually  below  the  freezing-point.  I  feel  most 
keenly  the  difficulty  of  my  position ;  we  cannot  afford  to 
lose  many  more  days.  Of  all  the  voyages  to  Barrow 
Strait,  there  are  but  two  which  were  delayed  beyond  thiH 
date,  viz.,  Parry's  in  1824,  and  the  'Prince  AlbertV  in 
1851.  Should  we  not  be  released,  and  therefore  be  compelled 
to  winter  in  this  pack,  notwithstanding  all  our  efforts,  I 
shall  repeat  this  trial  next  year,  apd  in  the  end,  with  Qod's 
aid,  perform  my  sacred  duty.  \ 

The  men  enjoy  a  game  of  rounders  on  the  ice  every 
evening ;  Petersen  and  Christian  are  constantly  on  the  look- 
out for  seals,  as  well  as  Hobson  and  Young  occasionally ; 
if  in  good  condition  and  killed  instantaneously,  the  seals 
float ;  several  have  already  been  shot ;  the  liver  fried  with 
bacon  is'excellent. 

Birds  have  become  scarce, — the  few  we  see  are  returning 
southward.  How  anxiously  I  watch  the  ice,  weather,  baro- 
meter, and  thermometer!  Wind  from  any  other  quarter 
than  S.  B.  would  oblige  the  floe-pieces  to  arrange  them- 
selves,  in  doing  which  they  would  become  loose,  and  then 
would  be  our  opportunity  to  proceed.  •' 

2ith. — Fine  weather  with  very  light  northerly  winds. 
We  have  drifted  1  miles  to  the  west  in  the  last  two  days. 
The  ice  is  now  a  close  pack,  so  close  that  one  may  walk  for 
many  miles  over  it  in  any  direction,  by  merely  turning  a 
little  to  the  right  or  left  to  avoid  the  small  water  spaces. 
My  frequent  visits  to  the  crow's-nest  are  not  inspiriting : 
how  absolutely  distressing  this  imprisonment  is  to  me,  no 
one  without  similar  experience  can  form  any  idea.  As  yet 
the  crew  have  but  little  suspicion  how  blighted  our  pros* 
pects  are. 


Ava.  1857. 


SEAL  SIIOOTINO. 


^Ifh. — Wo  daily  make  attempts  to  push  on,  and  some* 
times  get  a  ship's  length,  but  yesterday  evening  wo  made  a 
mile  and  a  half!  the  ice  then  closed  against  the  ship's  sides  and 
lifted  her  about  a  foot.  We  have  had  a  fresh  east  wind  for 
two  days,  but  no  corresponding  ice-drift  to  the  west ;  this 
is  most  discouraging,  and  can  only  bo  accounted  for  by  sup- 
posing the  existence  of  much  ice  or  grounded  icebergs  in 
that  direction. 

The  dreaded  reality  of  wintering  in  the*pack  is  gradually 
forcing  itself  upon  my  mind, — but  I  must  not  write  on  this 
sulyeet,  it  is  bad  enough  to  brood  over  it  unceasiiij!;ly.  We 
can  see  the  land  all  round  Melville  Bay,  from  Cape  W  alker 
nearly  to  Cape  York.  Petersen  is  indefatigable  at  seal- 
shooting,  he  is  so  anxious  to  secure  them  for  our  dogs ;  he 
snys  they  must  be  hit  in  the  head ;  "  if  you  hit  him  in  the  beef 
that  is  not  good,"  meaning  that  a  flesh-wound  does  not  pre- 
vent their  escaping  under  the  ice.  Petersen  and  Christian 
practice  an  Esquimaux  mode  of  attracting  the  seals ;  they 
scrape  the  ice,  thus  making  a  noise  like  that  produced  by  a 
seal  in  making  a  hole  with  its  flippers,  and  then  place  one 
end  of  a  pole  in  the  water  and  put  their  mouths  close  to 
the  other  end,  making  noises  in  imitation  of  the  snorts  and 
grunts  of  their  intended  victims  ;  whether  the  device  is  sue 
cessfulor  not  I  do  not  know,  but  it  looks  laughable  enough. 

Christian  came  back  a  few  days  ago,  like  a  true  seal- 
hunter,  carrying  his  kayak  on  his  head,  and  dragging  a  seal 
behind  him.  Only  two  years  ago  Petersen  returned  across 
this  bay  with  Dr.  Kane's  retreating  party ;  he  shot  a  seal, 
which  they  devoured  raw,  and  which,  under  Providence, 
saved  their  lives.  Petersen  is  a  good  ice-pilot,  knows  all 
these  coasts  as  well  or  better  than  any  man  livitig,  and 
from  long  experience  and  habits  of  observation,  is  almost 
unerring  in  his  prognostications  of  the  weather.  Besides  his 
great  value  to  us  as  interpreter,  few  men  are  better  adapted 
for  Arctic  work, — an  ardent  sportsman,  an  agreeable  com- 


62 


SIGNS  OF  WINTER. 


Chap.  lU 


panion,  never  at  a  loss  for  occupation  or  amusement,  and  9 
always  contented  and  sangjuine.  But  we  have  bappily^l 
many  such  dispositions  in  the  '  Fox.' 

30/^. — The  whole  distance  across   Melville  Bay  is  ITO 
miles:  of  this  we  have  performed  about  120,  40  of  whicli: 
we  have  drifted  in  the  last  fourteen  days.     The  *  Isabel,' 
sailed  freely  over  this  spot  on  the  20th  August,  1852  ;  and  ^ 
the  'North  Star'  was  beset  on  the  30th  July,  1849,  to  the^ 
southward  of  Melville  Bay,  and  carried  in  the  ice  across  it 
and  some  70  or  80  miles  beyond,  when  she  was  set  free  on  the  \ 
26th  September,  and  went  into  Winter  quarters  in  Wol- 
stenholme  Sound.     What  a  precedent  for  us  I 

Yesterday  we  set  to  work  as  usual  to  warp  the  ship 
along,  and  moved  her  ten  feet :  an  insignificant  hummuck  M 
then  blocked  up  the  narrow  passage ;  as  we  could  not  push  'I 
it  before  us,  a  two-pound  blasting  charge  was  exploded, 
and  the  surface  ice  was  shattered,  but  such  an  immensi  | 
quantity  of  broken  ice  came  up  from  beneath,  that  the  dif- 
ficulty was  greatly  increased  instead  of  being  removed.  This 
is  one  of  the  many  instances  in  which  our  small  vessel  1 
labors  under  very  great  disadvantages  in  ice-navigatiou—  1 
we  have  neither  sufficient  manual  power,  steam  power,  nor  | 
impetus  to  force  the  floes  asunder.  I  am  convinced  that  a 
steamer  of  moderate  size  and  power,  with  a  crew  of  forty 
or  fifty  men,  would  ha\e  got  through  a  hundred  miles  ofj 
such  ice  in  less  time  than  we  have  been  beset. 

The  temperature  fell  to  25°  last  night,  and  the  pools  are 
strongly  frozen  over.  I  now  look  matters  steadily  and 
calmly  in  the  face ;  whilst  reasonable  ground  for  hope  re- 
mained I  was  anxious  in  the  extreme.  The  dismal  prospect 
of  a  "  winter  in  the  pack  "  had  scarcely  begun  to  dawn  upon  S 
the  crew ;  however  I  do  not  think  they  will  be  much  upset  ^ 
by  it.  They  had  some  exciting  foot-races  on  the  ice  yester- 
day eveu.ng.  -  ' 

1st  Sept. — The  indication  of  an  approaching  S.  E. 


Sept.  1857. 


DRIFTING   IN  THE  PACK. 


63 


are  at  all  times  sufficiently  apparent  here,  and  fortuiia'Cly 
(bo,  as  it  is  the  most  dangerous  wind  in  Melville  Cay.  It 
was  on  the  morning  of  the  30th,  before  church-time,  that 
they  attracted  our  attention  :  the  wind  was  very  light,  but 
barometer  low  and  falling  ;  very  threatening  appearances  in 
the  S.  E.  quarter,  dark-bhic  sky,  and  grey  detached  clouds 
slowly  rising;  when  the  wind  commenced  the  barometer 
began  to  rise.  This  gale  lasted  forty-eight  hours,  and 
closed  up  every  little  space  of  water;  at  first  all  the  ice 
[drifted  before  the  wind,  but  latterly  remained  stationary. 
Twenty  seals  have  been  shot  up  to  this  time. 

On  comparing  Petersen's  experience  with  my  own  and 

[that  of  the  'North  Star'  in  1849,  it  seems  probable  that  the 

ice  along  the  shores  of  Melville  Bay,  at  this  season,  will 

drift  northward  close  along  the  land  as  far  as  Cape  Parry, 

where,  meeting  with  a  S.  W.   current   out  of  Whale  oi 

I  Smith's  Sound,  it  will  be  carried  away  into  the  middle  of 

[Baffin's  Bay,  and  thence  during  the  winter  down  Davis' 

I  Strait  into  the  Atlantic.      From  Cape  Dudley  Digges  to 

Cape  Parry,  including  Wolstenholme  Sound,  open  vvatei 

j  remains  until  October.     It  is  strange  that  we  have  ceased  to 

I  drift  lately  to  the  westward. 

6//?. — During  the  last  >>'eek  we  have  only  drifted  9  miles 
Ito  the  west.     Obtained  soundings  in  88  fathoms;  this  is  a 
;  discovery,  and  not  an  agreeable  one.     Of  the  six  or  seven 
icebergs  in  sight,  the  nearest  are  to  the  west  of  us  ;  they  are 
very  large,  and  appear  to  be  agro^ind ;  we  approach  them 
I  slowly.     Pleasant  weather,  but  the  winds  are  much  too  gen- 
tie  to  be  of  service  to  us;  although  the  nights  are  cold,  yet 
■during  the  day  our  men  occasionally  do  their  sewing  on 
'deck.     Our  companions  the  seals  are  larger  and  fatter  than 
formerly,  therefore  they  float  when  shot;  we  are  disposed 
{to  attribute  their  improved  condition  to  the  better  feeding 
I  upon  this  bank.     The  dredge  brought  up  some  few  shell- 
fish, star-fish,  stones  and  much  soft  mud. 


fe 


w* 


64 


CANINE  APPETITE. 


Chap.  IU 


9<7t.— On  this  day,  in  1824,  Sir  Edward  Parry  got  out  of 
the  middle  ice.  and  succeeded  in  reaching  Port  Bowen.  To 
continue  hoping  for  release  in  time  to  reach  Bellot  Strait 
would  be  absurd ;  yet  to  employ  the  men  we  continue  our 
preparations  of  tents,  sledges,  and  gear  for  traveling.  Two 
days  ago  the  ice  became  more  slack  than  usual,  and  a  long 
laue  opened ;  its  western  termination  could  not  be  seen 
from  aloft.  Every  effort  was  made  to  get  into  this  water, 
and  by  the  aid  of  steam  and  blasting  powder  we  advanced 
100  yards  out  of  the  intervening  1*10  yards  of  ice,  when 
the  floes  began  to  close  together,  a  S.  E.  wind  having  sprung 
up.  Had  we  succeeded  in  reaching  the  water,  I  think  we 
should  have  extricated  ourselves  completely,  and  perhaps 
ere  this  have  reached  Barrow  Strait,  but  S.  B.  and  S.  W. 
gales  succeeded,  and  it  now  blows  a  S.S.E.  gale,  with  sleet. 

10^^. — Young  went  to  the  large  icebergs  to-day;  the 
nearest  of  them  is  250  feet  high,  and  in  83  fathoms  water ; 
it  is  therefore  probably  aground,  except  at  spring  tide ;  the 
floe-ice  was  drifting  past  it  to  the  westward,  and  was  crush- 
ing up  against  its  side  to  a  height  of  50  feet. 

13^/i. — Thermometer  has  fallen  to  l*J°  at  noon.  We  have 
drifted  18  miles  to  the  W.  in  the  last  week ;  therefoie  our 
neighbors,  the  icebergs,  are  not  always  aground,  but  even 
when  afloat  drift  more  slowly  than  the  light  ice.  There  is 
a  water-sky  to  the  W.  and  N.  W. ;  it  is  nearest  to  us  in  the 
direction  of  Cape  York  ;  could  we  only  advance  12  or  15 
miles  in  that  direction,  I  am  convinced  we  should  be  free 
to  steer  for  Barrow  Strait.  Forty-three  seals  have  been 
secured  for  the  dogs ;  one  dog  is  missing,  the  remaining 
twenty-nine  devoured  their  two  days'  allowance  of  seal's 
flesh  (60  or  65  lbs.)  in  forty-two  seconds  1  it  contained  no 
bone,  and  had  been  cut  up  into  small  pieces,  and  spread  out 
upon  the  snow,  before  they  were  permitted  to  rush  to  din- 
ner; in  this  wuy  the  weak  enjoy  a  fai**  chance,  and  there  ij 
no  time  for  fighting.     We  do  not  alIo,v  them  on  board. 


Sept.  1867. 


PREPARING   FOR  WINTER. 


65 


the 


16/^. — At  length  we  have  drifted  past  the  large  icebergs, 
obtaining  soundings  iu  69  fathoms  within  a  mile  of  them ; 
they  must  now  be  aground,  and  have  frequently  been  so 
during  the  last  three  weeks ;  and  being  directly  upon  our 
line  of  drift,  are  probably  the  immediate  cause  of  our  still 
remaining  iu  Melville  Bay.  The  ice  is  slack  everywhere, 
but  the  temperature  having  fallen  to  3°,  new  ice  rapidly 
forms,  so  that  the  change  comes  too  late.  The  western 
limit  of  the  day  —  Cupe  York — is  very  distinct,  and  not 
more  than  25  miles  from  us. 

}Sth. — Lanes  of  water  in  all  directions;  but  the  nearest 
is  half  a  mile  from  us.  They  come  too  late,  as  do  also  the 
N.  W.  winds  which  have  now  succeeded  the  fatal  south- 
easters.  The  temperature  fell  to  2^  below  zero  last  night. 
We  are  now  at  length  in  the  "  North  Water ;"  the  old  ice 
has  spread  out  in  all  directions,  so  that  it  is  only  the  young 
ice — ^formed  within  the  last  fortnight — which  detains  us 
prisoners  here. 

The  icebergs,  the  chief  cause  of  our  unfortunate  deten- 
tion, and  which  for  more  than  three  weeks  were  iu  advance 
of  us  to  the  westward,  are  now,  in  the  short  space  of  two 
days,  nearly  out  of  sight  to  the  eastward. 

The  preparations  for  wintering  and  sledge-traveling  go 
on  with  unabated  alacrity ;  the  latter  will  be  useful  should 
it  become  necessary  to  abandon  the  ship. 

Notwithstanding  such  a  withering  blight  to  my  dearest 
hopes,  yet  I  cannot  overlook  the  many  sources  of  gratifica- 
tion which  do  exist ;  we  have  not  only  the  necessaries,  but 
also  a  fair  portion  of  the  luxuries,  of  ordinary  sea-life ;  our 
provisions  and  clothing  are  abundant  and  well  suited  to  the 
climate.  Our  whole  equipment,  though  upon  so  small  a 
scale,  is  perfect  in  its  way.  We  all  enjoy  perfect  health, 
and  the  men  are  most  cheerful,  willing,  and  quiet. 

Our  "native  auxiliaries,"  consisting  of  Christian  and  his 
twenty-nine  dogs,  are  capable  of  performing  immense  ser- 

f 


66 


PROSPECT  FOR  WINTER. 


Cuap.Ih^Ht.  1S57. 


vice  ;  whilst  Mr.  Petersen,  from  his  great  Arctic  experienj 
is  of  much  use  to  me,  besides  being  all  that  I  could  wlsln 
an  interpreter.  Humanly  speaking,  we  are  not  unreasoriJ 
ble  in  confidently  looking  forward  to  a  successful  issued 
this  season's  operations,  and  I  greatly  fear  that  poor  Lau 
Franklin's  disappointment  will  consequently  be  the  mo:!| 
Reverely  felt. 

We  are  doomed  to  pass  a  long  winter  of  absolute  inutilitjl 
if  not  of  idleness,  in  comparative  peril  and  privation ;  netl 
ertheless  the  men  seem  very  happy — thoughtless,  of  couritj 
as  true  sailors  always  are.  ' 

We  have  drifted  off  the  bank  into  much  deeper  watc] 
and  suppose  this  is  the  reason  tha*i  seals  have  become  morrj 
scarce. 

22nd. — Constant  N.  W.  winds  continue  to  drift  us  slowii 
southward.  Strong  indications  of  water  in  the  X.  W.,  T\',j 
and  S.  E. ;  its  vicinity  may  account  for  a  rise  in  the  teiii| 
perature,  without  apparent  cause,  to  27°  at  noon  to-day. 

Tlie  newly  formed  ice  affords  us  delightful  walking;  t!i(| 
old  ice  on  the  contrary  is  covered  with  a  foot  of  soft  snow 
We  have  no  shooting  ;  scarcely  a  living  creature  has  beenj 
Been  for  a  week.  , 

2Uh. — Yesterday  I  thought  I  saw  two  of  our  men  walkj 
ing  at  a  distance,  and   beyond   some   unsafe   ice,  but  ool 
inquiry  found  that  all  were  on  board :  Petersen  and  I  set 
off  to  reconnoitre  the  strangers ;  they  proved  to  be  bears, 
but  much  too  wary  to  let  us  come  within  shot.     It  was  dark] 
when  we  returned  on  board  after  a  brisk  walk  over  the  new 
ice.     The  calm  air  felt  agreeably  mild.     We  were  without 
mittens ;  and  but  that  the  breath  froze  upon  mustachios  aiidj 
beard,  one  could  have  readily  imagined  the  night  was  com- 
fortably warm.     The  thermometer  stood  at-f-5Q. 

To-day  when  walking  in  a  fresh  breeze  the  wind  felt  very 
cold,  and  kept  one  on  the  look-out  for  frost-bites,  alihougli 
the  therniometer  was  up  to  ^0°.     Games  upon  the  ice  andj 


k  1857. 


DINNER  STOLEN  BY  SHARKS. 


6t 


^ting  arc  our  afternoon  amusements,  but  we  also  have 

jie  few  lovers  of  music,  who  embrace  the  opportunity  for 

porous  execution,  without  fear  of  being  reminded  that 

lers  may  have  ears  more  sensitive  and  discriminating  than 

i'w  own. 

>C//i. — The  mountain  to  the  North  of  Melville  Bay, 
lown  as   the  'Snowy  Peak,'  was   visible  yesterday,  al- 

)ugh  90  miles  distant ;  I  have  calculated  its  height  to  be 
[00  feet.  A  raven  was  shot  to-day. 
kvh. — Oar  salt  meat  is  usually  soaked  for  some  days  be- 
\q  being  used  ;  for  this  purpose  it  is  put  into  a  net,  and 
fvcred  through  a  hole  in  the  ice ;  this  morning  the  net  had 
jcn  torn,  and  only  a  fragment  of  it  remained.  We  sup- 
|sc  our  twenty-two  pounds  of  salt  meat  had  been  devoured 

a  shark ;  it  would  be  curious  to  know  how  such  faro 
[rees  with  him,  as  a  full  meal  of  salted  provision  will  kill 

Esquimaux  dog,  which  thrives  on  almost  any  thing.  I 
|cd  to  remonstrate  upon  the  skins  of  sea-birds  being  given 

our  dogs,  but  was  told  the  feathers  were  good  for  them  1 
[ere  all  sea-birds  are  skinned  before  being  cooked,  other- 
|sc  our  ducks,  divers,  and  looms  would  be  uneatably  fishy. 

well-baited  shark-hook  has  been  substituted  for  the  net  of 
lit  moat;  I  much  wish  to  capture  one  of  the  monsters,  as 
joiulerful  stories  are  told  us  of  their  doings  in  Greenland  : 
licUier  they  are  the  white  shark  or  the  basking  shark  of 
itural  history  I  cannot  find  out.  It  is  only  of  late  years 
lat  the  shark  lishery  has  been  carried  on  to  any  extent  in 
frceuland ;  they  arc  captured  for  the  sake  of  their  livers, 
[hich  yield  a  considerale  quantity  of  oil.  It  has  very  re- 
jntly  been  appertained  that  a  valuable  substance  resembling 
icrmuceti  may  be  expressed  from  the  carcase,  and  for  this 
[iirpose  powerful  screw  presses  are  now  employed.  In 
irly  winter  the  sharks  are  caught  with  hook  and  line 
irough  holes  in  the  ice. 

The  Esquimaux  assert  that  they  are  insensible  to  pain ; 


68 


IHE  ARCTIC  SHARK. 


tnd  Petersen  assnres  me  he  has  plunged  a  long  knife  se 
times  into  the  head  of  one  whilst  it  continued  to  feed  o{ 
a  white  whale  entangled  in  his  net  I!  It  is  not  sufficieot 
drive  them  away  with  sundry  thrusts  of  spears  or  knii 
but  they  must  be  towed  away  to  some  distance  from 
nets,  otherwise  they  will  return  to  feed.  It  must  be  remi 
bered  that  the  brain  of  a  shark  is  extremely  small  in  pi 
portion  to  the  size  of  its  huge  head.  I  have  seen  buUi 
iired  through  them  with  very  little  apparent  effect ;  bot 
these  creatures  can  feel,  the  devices  practiced  upon  them 
the  Esquimaux  must  be  cruel  indeed. 

It  is  only  in  certain  localities  that  sharks  &re  found, 
in  these  places  they  are  often  attracted  to  the  nets  by 
inimals  entangled  in  them.  The  dogs  are  not  suffered 
iat  either  the  skin  or  the  head,  the  former  in  consequei 
of  its  extreme  roughness,  and  the  latter  because  it  caui 
j^iddiness  and  makes  them  sick. 

The  nets  alluded  to  are  set  for  the  white  whale  orti 
eal ;  if  for  the  former,  they  are  attached  to  the  shore 
extended  off  at  right  angles  so  as  to  intercept  them  in  thi 
autumnal  southern  migration,  when  they  swim  close 
the  rocks  to  avoid  their  direst  foe,  the  grampus,  or  kill 
of  sailors,  the  Delphinus  orca  Qt  naturalists.  When 
white  whale  is  stopped  by  the  net  it  often  appears  at 
to  be  unconscious  of  the  fact,  and  continues  to  swim  agaii 
it,  affording  time  for  the  approach  of  the  boat  and 
harpoon  from  behind.  If  entangled  in  the  net  a  very  sli 
time  suffices  to  drown  them,  as,  like  all  the  whale  tril 
they  are  obliged  to  come  to  the  surface  to  breathe. 

The  killer  is  also  a  cetacean  of  considerable  size,  15 
20  feet  in  length,  but  of  very  different  habits ;  it  is  tci 
swift,  is  armed  with  powerful  teeth,  and  is  gregarioi 
When  in  sufficient  numbers  they  even  attack  the 
impeding  his  progress  by  fastening  on  his  fins  and  tail. 
summer  they  appear  in  the  Greenland  seas,  and  the  sei 


kpr.  1857. 


KILLERS. 


stantljr  seek  refage  from  them  ia  the  various  creeks  and 
|ner  barbers ;  and  the  Esquimaux  hunter  in  his  frail  kayak, 

len  he  sees  the  huge  pointed  dorsal  fin  swiftly  cleaving 
^e  surface  of  the  sea,  is  scarcely  less  anxious  to  shun  such 
ingerons  company.  With  such  stories  as  theise  Petersen 
^gailes  the  time ;  I  never  tire  of  listening  to  them,  and 
}w  amos4  myself  ic  jctt^n^r  scraps  of  them  down.  ^ 


w 


FIXED  IN  THE  ICE. 


CBAr.n.HcT.1857. 


CHAPTERIV 

Soow  crystals — Dog  will  not  eat  raven — An  Arctic  school — Tho  dcpl 
inviido  us  —  Bear-hunting  by  night — Ico-artillery — Arctic  palate»-| 
Sudden  riao  of  temperature — Ilarvey's  idea  of  a  sortie. 


dd  Oct. — September  has  passed  away  and  left  us  as  il 
legacy  to  the  pack ;  what  a  month  have  we  had  of  anxioai| 
hopes  and  fears  1 

Up  to  the  nth  S.  E.  winds  prevailed,  forcing  the  ice  in 
a  compact  body,  and  urging  it  north-westward ;  suk-l 
quently  N.  W.  winds  set  in,  drifting  it  southward,  andl 
separating  the  floe-pieces ;  but  the  change  of  wind  beiiij; 
accompanied  by  a  considerable  fall  of  temperature,  tl)ej| 
were  either  quickly  cemented  together  again,  or  young 
formed  over  the  newly  opened  lanes  of  water,  almost 
rapidly  as  the  surface  of  the  sea  became  exposed.  Durinsl 
the  month  the  thermometer  ranged  between  -|-36°  and-S"- 
Two  more  bears  and  a  raven  have  been  seen.  A  weariedl 
ptarmigan  alighted  near  the  ship,  but  before  it  could  take! 
wing  again  the  dogs  caught  it,  and  scarcely  a  feather  re-| 
muined  by  the  time  I  could  rush  on  deck. 

Our  beautiful  little  organ  was  taken  out  of  its  case  tol 
day,  and  put  up  on  the  lower  deck ;  the  men  enjoy  iti 
pleasing  tones,  whilst  Christian  unceasingly  turns  the  handle! 
in  a  state  of  intense  delight ;  he  regards  it  with  such  awnl 
and  admiration,  and  is  so  entranced,  that  one  cannot  bclpl 
envying  him  ;  of  course  he  never  saw  one  before.  Tli«l 
instrument  was  presented  by  the  Prince  Consort  to  tbl 
searching  vessel  bearing  his  name  which  was  sent  out  bjl 


Chap.  n.BcT.  1857. 


MONOTONOUS   LIFB. 


Tl 


.ady  Franklin  in  L851 ;  it  is  now  about  to  pass  its  third 
iiiiter  in  the  frozen  regions. 

Two  (logs  ran  oflf  yesterday,  in  the  vain  hope,  I  suppose, 
If  bettering  their  condition, — we  only  feed  them  thrco 
jiiiies  a  week  at  present ;  they  returned  this  morning. 

Seals  are  daily  seen  upon  the  new  ice,  but  in  this  doubt- 

il  sort  of  light  they  are  extremely  timid,  therefore  our 

ijiortsraen  cannot  get  within  shot.     The  bears  scent  or  hear 

lur  (logs,  and  so  keep  aloof;  even  the  shark  has  deserted 

b,  the  bait  remains  intact.     The  snow  crystals  of  last  night 

re  extremely  beautiful;    the  largest  kind   is   an   inch   in 

ciigth;  its  form  exactly  resembles  the  end  of  a  pointed 

bather.     Stellar  crystals  two-tenths  of  an  inch  in  diameter 

lave  also  fallen  ;  these  have  six  points,  and  are  the  most 

Ixquisite  things  when  seen  under  a  microscope.     I  rcmcm- 

jer  noticing  them  at  Melville  Island  in  March,  1853,  when 

be  temperature  rose  to  -f-8°;   as  these  were  formed  last 

light  between  the   temperatures  of   -f  6°  and   4-12°,  it 

pould  appear  that  the  form  is  due  to  a  certain  fixed  tem- 

ierature.     In  the  sun,  or  even  in  moonlight,  all  these  crys- 

ils  glisten  most  brilliantly ;  and  as  our  masts  and  rigging 

Ire  abundantly  covered  with  them,  the  '  Fox'  was  never  so 

[orgeously  arrayed  as  she  now  appears. 

IZth. — One  day  is  very  like  another ;  we  have  to  battle 
foutly  with  monotony ;  and  but  that  each  twenty-four  hours 
[rings  with  it  necessary  though  trivial  duties,  it  would  be 
lifficult  to  remember  the  date.  We  take  our  guns  and 
ralk  long  distances,  but  see  nothing.  Two  of  the  dogs  go 
junting  on  their  own  account,  sometimes  remaining  absent 

1  night.    What  they  find  or  do  is  a  mystery.    The  weather 

generally  calm  and  cold — very  favorable  for  freezing  pur- 
[oses  at  all  events — for  the  if"i  of  only  three  weeks'  growth 

two  feet  thick. 

I  hardly  expect  any  considerable  disruption  of  the  ice 

efore  the  general  break  up  in  the  spring,  yet  we  do  not 


' ..'). 


12 


"HAitNESS  JACK." 


Chap.  I? 


m 


trust  any  of  our  provisions  upon  it,  nor  is  it  sufficiently  still 
to  set  up  a  magnetic  observatory,  for  which  purpose  the  in. 
strumetits  have  been  supplied  to  us. 

Petersen  still  hopes  we  may  escape  and  get  into  TJper- 
nivik,  as  the  sea  is  not  permanently  frozen  over  there  before 
December.  I  am  surprised  to  hear  that  eagles  have  bees 
leen  so  far  north  as  Upernivik,  although  it  is  but  twice  io 
twenty-four  years  that  specimens  have  been  noticed  there. 
In  Richardson's  '  Fauna  Boreali  Americana '  the  extreme 
northern  limit  of  these  birds  is  given  as  66°  j  but  Upernlyik 
is  in  T2JO. 

A  few  bear  and  fox  tracks  have  been  seen,  but  no  living 
creatures  for  several  duys,  except  a  flock  of  ducks  hastening 
southward,  and  a  solitary  raven. 

It  is  said  that  Esquimaux  dogs  will  eat  everything  except 
fox  and  raven.  There  are  exceptions,  however;  one  of 
ours,  old  "  Harness  Jack,"  devoured  a  raven  with  mucli 
gusto  some  days  ago.  All  the  other  dogs  allowed  their 
harness  to  be  taken  off  when  they  were  brought  on  board; 
but  old  Jack  will  not  permit  himself  to  be  unrobed ;  wben 
attempted,  he  very  plainly  threatens  to  use  his  teeth.  Tiiia 
canine  oddity  suddenly  became  immensely  popular,  by  con- 
stituting himself  protecting  head  of  the  establishment  when 
one  of  his  tribe  littered;  he  took  up  a  most  uncomfortable! 
position  on  top  of  the  family  cask  (our  impromptu  kennel), 
and  prevented  the  approach  of  all  the  other  dogs ;  but  for  | 
his  timely  interference  on  behalf  of  the  poor  little  puppies, 
I  verily  believe  they  would  all  have  been  stolen  and  de- 
voured !    Dogs  may  do  even  worse  than  eat  raven. 

I  have  attempted  some  experiments  for  the  purpose  of  | 
determining  the  mean  hourly  change  of  oscillation  of  a  pen* 
dulum  due  to  the  earth's  diurnal  motion ;  but  as  mine  was  | 
only  11 J  feet  in  length,  I  failed  of  any  approach  to  accu- 
racy., The  mean  of  several  observations  gave  1T°  4V, 
whereas  the  change  due  to  our  latitude  is  about  14°  30'.  il 


Oct.  1857. 


AN  ARCTIC  SCHOOL. 


u 


single  experiment  gave  14®  10'  and  this  was  the  longest  in 
point  of  time  of  any  of  them,  the  pendulum  having  swung 
for  thirty-six  minutes. 

2ith. — Furions  N.  W.  and  S.  E.  gales  have  alternated  of 
late ;  the  ship  is  housed  over,  to  keep  out  the  driving  snow ; 
eo  high  is  the  snow  carried  in  the  air  that  a  little  box  per- 
forated with  small  holes  and  triced  up  50  feet  high  is  soon 
filled  up ;  this  box  is  supplied  morning  and  evening  with  a 
piece  of  prepared  paper  to  detect  the  presence  and  amount 
of  ozone  in  the  atmosphere ;  it  is  a  peculiar  pet  of  the 
Doctor's.  , 

At  eight  o'clock  this  evening  I  noticed  the  falling  of  a 
rcry  brilliant  meteor;  it  passed  through  the  constellation  of 
Cassiopceia  in  a  N.  N.  E.  direction  before  terminating  its 
visible  existence,  which  it  did  very  much  like  a  huge  rocket ; 
the  flush  was  so  brilliant  that  a  man  whose  back  was  turned 
to  it  mistook  the  illumination  for  lightning. 

2Qth. — Our  school  opened  this  evening,  under  the  auspi- 
ces of  Dr.  Walker.  He  reports  eight  or  nine  pupils,  and 
is  much  gratified  by  their  zeal.  At  present  their  studies 
are  limited  to  the  three  R's — reading,  'riting,  and  'rithme- 
tic.  They  have  asked  him  to  read  and  explain  something 
instructive,  so  he  intends  to  make  them  acquainted  with  the 
trade- winds  and  atmosphere.  This  subject  afifords  an  oppor- 
tunity of  explaining  the  uses  of  our  thermometer,  barome- 
ter, ozonometer,  and  electrometer,  which  they  see  us  take 
much  interest  in.  It  is  delightful  to  find  a  spirit  of  inquiry 
amongst  them.  Apart  from  scholastic  occupation,  I  give 
them  healthful  exercise  in  spreading  a  thick  layer  of  snow 
over  the  deck,  and  encasing  the  ship  all  round  with  a  bank 
of  the  same  material. 

2Sth. — Midnight.  This  evening,  to  our  great  astonish- 
iieut,  there  occurred  a  disruption  and  movement  of  the  ico 
within  200  yards  of  the  nhip.  The  night  was  calm ;  the 
teflection  of  a  bright  moon,  aided  by  the  more  than  ordinary 


■otm 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


1.1 


S   lii   12.0 


IL25  il  1.4 


U& 


1.6 


Photographic 
.Sciences 
Corporation 


23  WIST  MAIN  STMiT 

WiBSTiR,N.Y.  I45M 

(716)  •72-4S03 


u 


ICE  DISTURBANCE. 


CnAr.  IV. 


brilliancy  of  the  stars  upon  the  snowy  expanse,  made  it 
appear  to  us  almost  daylight.  As  I  sit  now  in  my  cabin  I 
can  distinctly  hear  the  ice  crushing ;  it  resembles  the  con- 
tinued roar  of  distant  surf,  and  there  are  many  other  occa- 
sional sounds ;  some  of  them  remind  one  of  the  low  moau 
ing  of  the  wind,  others  are  loud  and  harsh,  as  if  trains  of 
heavy  wagons  with  ungreased  axles  were  slowly  laboring 
along.  Upon  a  less-favored  night  these  sounds  might  be 
appalling  ;  even  as  it  is,  they  are  sufficiently  ominous  to  in- 
vite reflection.  Cape  York  has  been  in  sight  for  some  days 
past. 

29M. — Another  heavenly  night,  and  still  greater  ice  dis- 
turbance ;  some  of  the  crushed-up  pieces  are  nearly  four 
feet  thick.  The  currents,  icebergs,  and  changes  of  tempera- 
ture, may  contribute  to  this  ice  action ;  but  I  think  the 
tides  are  the  chief  cause,  and  fur  these  reasons :  that  it 
wants  but  two  days  to  the  full  moon,  and  that  the  ice- 
movements  are  almost  confined  to  the  night,  and  change 
their  direction  morning  and  evening.  Now  we  know  that 
the  night  tides  in  Greenland  greatly  exceed  the  day-tides. 
One  thing  is  evident — the  weather  continues  calm,  there- 
fore the  winds  are  not  concerned  in  the  matter. 

2nd  -ATbi;.— Having  observed  some  days  ago  that  a  few 
of  the  dogs  were  falling  away — from  some  cause  or  other 
not  having  put  on  their  winter  clothing  before  the  recent 
cold  weather  set  in — they  were  all  allowed  on  board,  and 
given  a  good  extra  meal.  Since  then  we  can  scarcely 
keep  them  out.  One  calm  night  they  made  a  charge,  and 
boarded  the  ship  so  suddenly  that  several  of  the  men  rushed 
up  very  scantily  clothed,  to  see  what  was  the  matter.  Vig- 
orous measures  were  adopted  to  expel  the  intruders,  and 
there  was  desperate  chasing  round  the  deck  with  broom- 
sticks, &Q.  Many  of  them  retreated  into  holes  and  eor* 
Hers,  and  two  hours  elapsed  before  they  were  all  driven  ovX\ 


Nov.  1857. 


BEAR-HUNTINO  BY  NIGHT. 


75 


but  though  the  chase  was  hot,  it  was  cold  enoagh  work  for 
the  half-clad  men. 

Sailors  use  quaint  expressions.  Tlie  nightly  foraging 
expeditions  are  called  *'  sorties ;"  they  point  out  to  me  the 
various  corners  between  decks  where  the  "  ice  corrodes/' 
i.  e,,  the  moisture  condenses  and  forms  frost ;  a  ramble 
over  the  ice  is  called  "a  bit  of  a  peruse."  I  presume  this 
indignity  is  offered  to  the  word  perambulation. 

There  was  a  very  sudden  call  "  to  arms"  to-night.  Whe- 
tlicr  sleeping,  prosing,  or  schooling,  every  one  flew  out  upon 
tlic  ice  on  the  instant,  as  if  the  magazine  or  the  boiler 
was  on  the  point  of  explosion.  The  alarm  of  "  A  bear 
close-to,  fighting  with  the  dogs,"  was  the  cause.  The  luck- 
less beast  had  approached  within  25  yards  of  the  ship  ere 
the  quartermaster's  eye  detected  his  indistinct  outline  against 
the  SHOW ;  so  silently  had  he  crept  up  that  he  was  within 
10  yards  of  some  of  the  dogs.  A  shout  started  them  up, 
and  they  at  once  flew  round  the  bear  and  embarrassed  his 
retreat.  In  crossing  some  very  thin  ice  he  broke  through, 
and  there  I  found  him  surrounded  by  yelping  dogs.  Poor 
fellow !  Hobson,  Young,  and  Petersen  had  each  lodged  a 
bullet  in  him ;  but  these  only  seemed  to  increase  his  rage, 
lie  succeeded  in  getting  out  of  the  water,  when,  fearing 
harm  to  the  numerous  by-standers  and  dogs,  or  that  he 
might  escape,  I  fired,  and  luckily  the  bullet  passed  through 
his  brain.  He  proved  to  be  a  full-grown  male,  1  feet  3 
inches  in  length.  As  we  all  aided  in  the  capture,  it  was 
decided  ihat  the  skin  should  be  offered  to  Lady  Franklin. 

The  carcase  will  feed  our  dogs  for  nearly  a  month  ;  they 
were  rewarded  on  the  spot  with  the  offal.  All  of  them, 
however,  had  not  shown  equal  pluck ;  some  ran  off  in  evi- 
dent fright,  but  others  sl>Owcd  no  symptom  of  fear,  plung- 
'"g  or  falling  into  the  water  with  Bruin.  Poor  old  Sophy 
was  amongst  the  latter,  and  received  a  deep  cut  in  the 
shoulder  from  one  of  bis  claws.     The  authorities  have  pre- 


76 


GUY  FAWKES'  DAY. 


Chap.  IV 


f: 

El" 

k 


I 


scribed  double  allowance  of  food  for  her,  and  say  she  will 
soon  recover. 

For  the  few  moments  of  its  duration  the  chase  and  death 
was  exciting.  And  how  strange  and  novel  the  scene  !  A 
misty  moon  affording  but  scanty  light — dark  figures  gliding 
singly  about,  not  daring  to  approach  each  other,  for  the 
ice  trembled  under  their  feet — the  enraged  bear,  the  wolfish 
howling  dogs,  and  the  bright  flashes  of  the  deadly  rifles. 

3rd. — I  remained  up  the  greater  part  of  last  night  tak- 
ing observations,  for  the  evening  mists  had  passed  away, 
and  a  lovely  moon  reigned  over  a  calm  enchanting  night; 
through  a  powerful  telescope  she  resembled  a  huge  frosted- 
silver  melon,  the  large  crater-like  depression  answering  to 
that  part  from  which  the  footstalk  had  been  detached.  Not 
a  sound  to  break  the  stillness  around,  excepting  when  some 
hungry  dog  would  return  to  the  battlefield  to  gnaw  into  the 
blood-stained  ice. 

On  the  1st  the  sun  paid  us  his  last  visit  for  the  year, 
and  now  we  take  all  our  meals  by  lamp-light. 

bth. — In  order  to  vary  our  monotonous  routine,  we  deter- 
mined to  celebrate  the  day  ;  extra  grog  was  issued  to  the 
crew,  and  also  for  the  first  time  a  proportion  of  preserved 
plum-pudding.  Lady  Franklin  most  thoughtfully  and 
kindly  sent  it  on  board  for  occasional  use.     It  is  excellent. 

This  evening  a  well-got-up  procession  sallied  forth, 
marched  round  the  ship  with  drum,  gong,  and  discord,  and 
then  proceeded  to  burn  the  eflfigy  of  Guy  Fawkes.  Their 
blackened  faces,  extravagant  costumes,  flaring  torches,  and 
savage  yells,  frightened  away  all  the  dogs ;  nor  was  it  until 
after  the  fireworks  were  set  off  and  the  traitor  consumed 
that  they  crept  back  again.  It  was  schooUnight,  but  tJje 
men  were  up  for  fun,  so  gave  the  Doctor  a  holiday. 

V2lh. — Yesterday  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  shoot  two 
seals ;  they  were  very  fat,  and  their  stomachs  were  filled 
with  shrimps     To-day  Young  and  Petersen  shot  three 


Nov.  1857. 


ICE-ARTILLERY. 


11 


more,  and  many  others  have  been  seen.  This  is  cheering, 
and  entices  people  out  for  hours  daily.  There  is  just 
enough  movement  in  the  ice  to  keep  a  few  narrow  lanes  and 
sniail  pools  of  water  open ;  the  floes  or  fields  of  ice  are 
more  inclined  to  spread  out  from  each  other  than  to  close. 
We  have  latterly  been  drifting  before  northerly  winds. 

16/A. — A  renewal  of  ice-crushing  within  a  few  hundreds 
yards  of  us.  I  can  hear  it  in  my  bed.  The  ordinary  scund 
resembles  the  roar  of  distant  surf  breaking  heavily  and  con- 
tinuously ;  but  when  heavy  masses  come  in  collision  with 
much  impetus,  it  fully  realizes  the  justness  of  Dr.  Kane's 
descriptive  epithet,  "  ice-artillery."  Fortunately  for  us,  our 
poor  little  '  Fox'  is  well  within  the  margin  of  a  stout  old 
floe ;  we  are  therefore  undisturbed  spectators  of  ice-conflicts 
which  would  be  irresistible  to  anything  of  human  construc- 
tion. Immediately  about  the  ship  all  is  still,  and  as  far  as 
appearances  go  she  is  precisely  as  she  would  be  in  a  secure 
harbor — housed  all  over,  banked  up  with  snow  to  her  gun- 
wales. In  fact,  her  winter  plumage  is  so  complete  that 
the  masts  alone  are  visible.  The  deck  and  the  now  useless 
sky-lights  are  covered  with  hard  snow.  Below  hatches  we 
arc  warm  and  dry ;  all  are  in  excellent  health  and  spirits, 
looking  forward  to  an  active  campaign  next  winter.  God 
grant  it  may  be  realized  I 

Yesterday  Young  shot  the  fiftieth  seal,  an  event  duly 
celebrated  by  our  drinking  the  bottle  of  champagne  which 
had  been  set  apart  in  more  hopeful  times  to  be  drunk  on 
reaching  the  North  Water — that  unhappy  failure,  the  more 
keenly  felt  from  being  being  so  very  unexpected. 

Petersen  saw  and  fired  a  shot  into  a  narwhal,  which 
brought  the  blubber  out.  When  most  Arctic  creatures  are 
wounded  in  the  water,  blubber  more  frequently  than  blood 
appears,  particularly  if  the  wound  is  superficial — it  spreads 
over  the  surface  of  the  water  like  oil.  Bills  of  fare  vary 
much,  even  in  Greenland.     I  have  inquired  of  Petersen,  and 


78 


A  tVCKY  DOG. 


Co  A  p.  IV. 


I 


he  tells  me  tliat  the  Greenland  Esquimaux  (there  are  many 
Qrccnianders  of  Danish  origin)  are  not  agreed  as  to  which 
of  their  animals  affords  the  most  delicious  food ;  some  of 
them  prefer  reindeer  venison,  others  think  more  favorably 
of  young  dog,  the  flesh  of  which,  he  asserts,  is  "just  like 
the  beef  of  sheep."  He  says  a  Danish  captain,  who  hod 
acquired  the  taste,  provided  some  for  his  guests,  and  they 
praised  his  mutton  !  after  dinner  he  sent  for  the  skin  of  the 
animal,  which  was  no  other  than  a  large  red  dog!  Thin 
occurred  in  Greenland,  where  his  Danish  guests  had  resided 
for  many  years,  far  removed  from  European  mutton.  Baked 
puppy  is  a  real  delicacy  all  over  Polynesia :  at  the  Sand- 
wich Islands  I  was  once  invited  to  a  feast,  and  had  to  feign 
disappointment  as  well  as  I  could  on  being  told  that  puppy 
was  so  extremely  scarce  it  could  not  be  procured  in  time, 
and  therefore  sucking  pig  was  substituted  ! 

19/A. — A  heavy  southerly  gale  has  increased  the  ice 
movements ;  happily  we  are  undisturbed.  As  Young  was 
seated  under  the  lee  of  a  hummock,  watching  for  seals  to 
pop  up  to  breathe,  the  strong  ice  under  him  suddenly  cracked 
and  separated  I  He  escaped  with  a  ducking,  and  was  just 
able  to  reach  his  gun  from  the  bank  ere  it  sank  through  the 
mixture  of  snow  and  water. 

Yesterday  we  were  all  out ;  I  saw  only  one  seal,  but  was 
refreshed  by  the  sight  of  a  dozen  narwhals.  It  is  a  positive 
treat  to  see  a  living  creature  of  any  kind.  The  only  birds 
that  remain  are  dovekies,  but  they  are  scarce,  and,  being 
white,  are  very  rarely  visible. 

The  dogs  are  fed  every  second  day,  when  2  lbs.  of  seal's 
flesh — previously  thawed  when  possible — is  given  to  eacli; 
the  weaker  ones  get  additional  food,  and  they  all  pick  up 
whatever  scraps  are  thrown  out ;  this  is  enough  to  sustain, 
bnt  not  to  satisfy  them,  so  they  are  continually  on  the  look-out 
for  anything  eatable.  Hobson  made  one  very  happy  with- 
out iLtending  it ;  he  meant  only  to  give  him  a  kick,  but  his 


Nor.  1857. 


RISE  IN  TEMPEKATURB. 


79 


ilippcr,  being  down  at  heel,  flew  off,  and  away  went  the 
lucky  dog  in  triumph  with  the  prize,  which  of  course  was  no 
more  seen. 

Two  large  icebergs  drifted  in  company  with  us;  oiir  rela- 
tive positions  have  remained  pretty  nearly  the  same  for  the 
last  month. 

2Srd. — A  heavy  gale  commenced  at  N.  E.  on  the  21st, 
and  continued  for  thirty-six  hours  nuabatcd  in  force,  but 
changed  in  direction  to  S.  S.  W.  It  appears  to  have  been 
a  revolving  storm,  moving  to  the  N.  W.  Yesterday  as  the 
wind  approached  S.  E.,  the  temperature  rose  to  -|-32°  ;  the 
deck  sloppy  ;  the  lower  deck  temperature  during  Divine 
Service  wa*75°  1 1  As  the  wind  veered  round  to  S.  S.  W., 
the  wind  moderated,  and  temperature  fell ;  this  evening  it 
is — 1°.  How  is  it  that  the  S.  E.  wind  has  brought  us 
such  a  very  high  temperature  ?  Even  if  it  traversed  an  un- 
frozen sea  it  could  not  have  derived  from  thence  a  higher 
temperature  than  29°.  Has  it  swept  across  Greenland— 
that  vast  superficies  partly  enveloped  in  glacier,  partly  in 
snow  ?  No,  it  must  have  been  borne  in  the  higher  regions 
of  the  atmosphere  from  the  far  south,  in  order  to  mitigate 
the  severity  of  the  northern  climate. 

Petersen  tells  me  the  same  warm  S.  E.  wind  suddenly 
sweeps  over  Upernivik  in  midwinter,  bringing  with  it  abun- 
dance of  rain  ;  and  that  it  always  shifts  to  the  S.  W.,  and 
then  the  temperature  rapidly  falls ;  this  is  precisely  the 
choMge  we  have  experienced  in  lat.  T5°.  I  believe  a  some- 
what similar,  but  less  remarkable,  change  of  temperature 
was  noticed  in  Smith's  Sound,  lat,  78^°  N. 

25//i. — Mild  "  Madeira  weather,"  as  Ilobson  calls  it, 
temperature  up  to  +t°.  By  my  desire  Dr.  Walker  is  occu- 
pied in  making  every  possible  experiment  upon  the  freezing 
of  salt  water  ;  the  first  crop  of  ice  is  salt,  the  second  less 
so,  the  third  produces  drinkable  water,  and  the  fourth  is 
fresh.     Frosty  efflorescence  appears  upon  ice  formed  at  low 


THE  DOGS'  "  SORTEE." 


Crap.  IV 


temperatures  in  calm  weather — it  is  brine  expressed  by  th( 
net  of  freezing.  We  need  not  wonder  that  dogs,  when  driv.h 
hard  over  tliis  ice,  which  soon  cuts  their  feet,  suffer  iiiteise 
pain,  and  often  full  down  in  fits;  nor  that  snow,  fulling; 
from  young  (sea)  ice,  wholly  or  partially  thaws,  even  wlicn 
the  temperature  is  but  little  above  zero ;  when  near  the 
freezing  point  the  young  ice  thus  coated  over  become  sludgy 
and  unsafe. 

29th. — Keen,  biting,  N.  W.  winds.  No  cracks  in  the  ice, 
therefore  no  seals.  Grey  dawn  at  ten  o'clock,  and  dark  at 
two.  The  moon  is  everywhere  the  sailor's  friend,  she  is  a 
source  of  comfort  to  us  here.  Nothing  to  e|citc  conver- 
sation, except  an  occasional  inroad  of  the  dogs  in  search 
of  food ;  this  generally  occurs  at  night.  Whenever  the 
deck-light,  which  burns  under  the  housing  happens  to  go 
out,  they  scale  the  steep  snow  banking  and  rush  round  the 
deck  like  wolves.  "Why,  bless  you.  Sir,  the  werry  moment 
that  there  light  goes  out,  and  the  quartermaster  turns  his 
back,  they  makes  a  regular  sorter,  and  in  they  all  comes." 
"But  where  do  they  come  in,  Harvey?"  "Where,  Sir? 
why  everywheres ;  they  makes  no  more  to  do,  but  in  they 
comes,  clean  over  all."  Not  long  ago  old  Harvey  was 
chief  quartermaster  in  a  line-of-battle  ship,  and  a  reguhir 
magnet  to  all  the  younger  midshipmen.  He  would  spin 
them  yarns  by  the  hour  during  the  night-watches  about  the 
wonders  of  the  sea,  and  of  the  Arctic  regions  in  particu- 
lar— its  bears,  its  icebergs,  and  still  more  terrific  "auroras, 
roaring  and  flashing  about  the  ship  enough  to  frighten  8 
fellow  I" 

SOth. — Severe  cold  has  arrived  with  the  full  moon  ;  eight 
days  ago  the  thermometer  stood  at  the  freezing-point,  it  is 
now  64°  below  it  I  So  dark  is  it  now  that  I  was  able  to 
observe  an  eclipse  of  Jupiter's  first  satellite  before  three 
o'clock  to-day.  For  the  last  two  months  we  have  drifted 
reely  backwards  and  forwards  before  N.  W.  and  S.  E.  winds  • 


Nov.  1857. 


PROXIMITY  OF  OPEN  SEA. 


81 


each  time  we  have  gained  a  more  off-shore  position,  being 
gradually  separated  furtlier  and  further  from  the  land  by 
fresh  growths  of  ice,  which  invariably  follow  up  every  ice- 
movemeiit.  In  this  manner  we  have  been  thrust  out, to  the 
S.W.  80  miles*  from  the  nearest  land,  and  into  that  free 
space  which  in  autumn  was  open  water,  bnd  which  we  then 
vainly  struggled  to  reach. 

That  the  ice  has  been  most  free  to  move  in  this  direction 
is  additional  evidence  of  the  recent  proximity  of  an  open 
sea,  and  shows  that  in  all  probability — I  had  almost  said 
certainty — we  should  have  sailed,  or  at  least  drifted  into  it, 
bad  it  not  been  for  those  enemies  to  all  progress,  the 
grounded  bergs. 


BURIAL  IN  THE  PACK, 


C«AF.?. 


y 


CHAPTEB    V. 


i; 


Borial  in  the  pack— Musk  oxen  in  lat.  AO^  north— Thrift  of  the  Aretlt 
fox— The  aurora  affects  the  electromotor — An  Arctio  Ohristmoi- 
Sufleringi  of  Dr.  Kane's  deserters — Ice  acted  on  by  wind  only — How 
the  sun^  ought  to  be  welcomed — Constant  action  of  the  ice — Retun 
of  the  seals — Revolving  storm. 

Uh  Dec. — I  HAVE  just  returned  on  board  from  the  per- 
formance of  the  most  solemn  duty  a  commander  can  be 
called  upon  to  fulfil.  A  funeral  at  sea  is  always  peculiarlj 
impressive ;  but  this  evening  at  seven  o'clock,  as  we  gath- 
ered around  the  sad  remains  of  poor  Scott,  reposing  under 
an  Union  Jack,  and  read  the  Burial  Service  by  the  light 
of  lanterns,  the  effect  could  not  fail  to  awaken  very  serioos 
emotions. 

The  greater  part  of  the  Church  Service  was  read  on 
board,  un^cr  shelter  of  the  housing;  the  body  was  then 
placed  upon  a  sledge,  and  drawn  by  the  messmates  of  the 
deceased  to  a  short  distance  from  the  ship,  where  a  bole 
through  the  ice  had  been  cut:  it  was  then  "committed to 
the  deep,"  and  the  Service  completed.  What  a  scene  it 
was  I  I  shall  never  forget  it.  The  lonely  *  Fox,'  almost 
buried  in  snow,  completely  isolated  from  the  habitable  world, 
her  colors  half-mast  high,  and  bell  mournfully  tolling ;  our 
little  procession  slowly  marching  over  the  rough  surface  of 
the  frozen  sea,  guided  by  lanterns  and  direction-posts,  amid 
the  dark  and  dreary  depth  of  Arctic  winter ;  the  deathlike 
stillness,  the  intense  cold,  and  threatening  aspect  of  a  murky, 
oVercast  sky ;  and  all  this  heightened  by  one  of  those  strange 
lunar  phenomena  which  are  but  seldom  seen  even  here,  i 


Ciif.T. 


the  Aretii 
iristmai- 
nly — How 
e — Retun 


the  per- 
r  can  be 
eculiarly 
we  gath* 
ig  under 
he  light 
serious 

read  on 
iras  then 

of  the 
'e  a  hole 
litted  to 
scene  it 

almost 
e  world, 
ng'j  our 
rface  of 
ts,  amid 
cathlike 

murky, 
strange 

here,  i 


I'HJrfll 


•w  'li 


Die.  1S67. 


complete 
lioi'izoiitu 
above  I  lie 
and  there 
bcr  of  six 
to  this  bill 
an  hour. 
Poor 
his  death, 
received; 
will  moiiri 
replace  hi 
gincs  will 

steadily  cc 
At  noon  t 
the  north 
bright  anc 
the  zenith 
wind,  thin 
and  the  tct 

I  have  b 
mask  oxen 
skulls  of  a1 
of  the  79tl 
he  says  the 
spot  the  sk 
jaw  being 
flesh  and  t( 
horns  cann 

Althoug 
of  raised  1 
Sound  hai 
geological 
Dumerous 


Die.  I8&7. 


MUSK  OXEN  IN  LAT.  80*  N. 


83 


complete  hulo  encircling  the  moon,  through  which  passed  a 
horizoiitul  band  of  |ialu  liglit  that  encompassed  the  heavens; 
above  tiie  nioun  appeared  the  segments  of  two  other  balos, 
und  tiiei'c  were  also  mock  moons  or  parnseleno}  to  the  num* 
bcr  of  six.  Tiio  misty  atmosphere  lent  a  very  ghastly  hue 
to  this  singular  display,  which  lasted  for  rather  more  than 
an  hour. 

Poor  Scott  fell  down  a  hatchway  two  days  only  before 
his  death,  which  was  occasioned  by  the  internal  injuries  then 
received;  he  was  a  steady,  serious  man  ;  a  widow  and  family 
will  mourn  his  loss.  He  was  our  engine-driver ;  we  cannot 
repiuce  him,  therefore  the  whole  duty  of  working  the  en- 
gines will  devolve  upon  the  engineer,  Mr.  Brand. 

\Uh. — Calm,  clear  weather,  pleasant  for  exercise,  but 
steadily  cold ;  thermometer  varies  between  -20°  and  -30°. 
At  noon  the  blush  of  dawn  tints  the  southern  horizon,  to 
the  north  the  sky  remains  inky  blue,  whilst  overhead  it  is 
bright  and  clear,  the  stars  shining,  and  the  pole-star  near 
the  zenith  very  distinct.  Although  there  is  a  light  north 
wind,  thin  mackerel-clouds  are  passing  from  south  to  north, 
and  the  temperature  has  risen  10°. 

I  have  been  questioning  Petersen  about  the  bones  of  the 
mask  oxen  found  in  Smith's  Sound ;  he  says  the  decayed 
skulls  of  about  twenty  were  found,  all  of  them  to  the  north 
of  the  79th  pavallel.  As  they  were  all  without  lower  jaws, 
he  says  they  were  killed  by  Esquimaux,  who  leave  upon  the 
spot  the  skulls  of  large  animals,  but  the  weight  of  the  lower 
jaw  being  so  trifling  it  is  allowed  to  remain  attached  to  the 
flesh  and  tongue.  The  skull  of  a  musk  ox  with  its  massive 
horns  cannot  weigh  less  than  30  lbs. 

Although  it  has  been  abundantly  proved  by  the  existence 
of  raised  beaches  and  fossils,  that  the  shores  of  Smith's 
Sound  have  been  elevated  within  a  comparatively  recent 
geological  period,  yet  Petersen  tells  me  that  there  exist 
Dumerous  ruins  of  Esquimaux  buildings,  probably  one  or 


u 


*.'(<.« 


84 


THRIFT  OP  THE  ARCTIC  FOX. 


Chap,  y 


^ 


two  centuries  old,  all  of  which  are  situated  upon  very  low 
points,  only  just  suflBciently  raised  above  the  reach  of  the 
sea ;  such  sites,  in  fact,  as  would  at  present  be  selected  by 
the  natives.  These  ruins  show  that  no  perceptible  change 
has  taken  place  in  the  relative  level  of  sea  and  land  since 
they  were  originally  constructed.  At  Petersen's  Greciland 
home,  Upernivik,  the  land  has  sunk,  as  is  plainly  shown  by 
similar  ruins,  over  which  the  tides  now  flow. 

Any  thing  which  illustrates  the  habits  of  animals  in  snch 
extr  mely  high  latitudes  I  think  is  most  interesting ;  their 
instincts  must  be  quickened  in  proportion  as  the  difficulty 
of  subsisting  increases.  Foxes,  white  and  blue,  are  very 
numerous ;  all  the  birds  are  merely  summer  visitors,  there- 
fore the  hare  is  the  only  creature  remaining  upon  which 
foxes  can  prey;  but  the  hares  are  comparatively  scarce: 
how  then  do  the  foxes  live  for  eight  months  of  each  year? 
Petersen  thinks  they  store  up  provisions  during  the  summer 
in  various  holes  and  crevices,  and  thus  manage  to  eke  oat 
an  existence  during  the  dark  winter  season  ;  he  once  saw  a 
fox  carry  off  eggs  in  his  mouth  from  an  eider-duck's  nest, 
one  at  a  time,  until  the  whole  were  removed ;  and  in  winter 
he  has  observed  a  fox  scratch  a  hole  down  through  very 
deep  snow,  to  a  cache  of  eggs  beneath. 

The  men  are  exercised  at  building  snow  huts  ;  for  winter 
or  early  spring  traveling,  this  knowledge  is  almost  indispen- 
sable. Upon  a  calm  day  the  temperature  of  the  external 
air  being  -33°,  with'.n  a  snow  hut  the  thermometer  stood 
lt°  higher,  this  important  difference  being  due  to  the  trans* 
mission  of  heat  through  the  ice  from  the  sea  beneath. 

Evaporation  goes  on  through  ice  from  the  water  under* 
neath  it.  The  interior  of  each  snow  hut  is  coated  with 
crystals,  and  the  ice  upon  which  the  huts  are  built  is  four 
feet  thick,  but  when  no  longer  in  contact  with  water  I  can- 
not discover  any  evaporation  from   ice.     For  instance,  a 


Dec.  1857. 


TUB  AURORA. 


8ft 


canvas  screen  on  deck  which  became  wet  by  the  sudden 
thaw  last  month  still  remains  frozen  stiff. 

14/^. — Of  late  there  has  been  much  damp  upon  the  lower 
deck.  This  has  now  been  remedied  by  enclosing  the  hatch- 
way V  iin  a  commodious  snow-porch,  which  serves  as  a 
condenser  for  the  steam  and  vapor  from  the  inhabited  deck 
below. 

Idth. — Light  N.  W.  winds,  with  occasional  mists;  the 
temperature  is  comparatively  mild  :  -12°  to  -25°. 

It  is  now  the  time  of  spring-tides ;  they  cause  nnmeroas 
cracks  in  the  ice ;  but  why  so,  at  such  a  great  distance  from 
the  land,  I  cannot  explain.  The  three  nearest  points  of 
land  are  respectively  110,  140,  and  180  miles  distant  from 
us. 

Much  aurora  during  the  last  two  days.  Yesterday  morn- 
ing it  was  visible  until  eclipsed  by  the  day-dawn  at  10 
o'clock.  Although  we  could  no  longer  see  it,  I  do  not 
think  it  ceased :  very  thin  clouds  occupied  its  place, 
through  which,  as  through  the  aurora,  stars  appeared 
scarcely  dimmed  in  lustre.  I  do  not  imagine  that  aurora  is 
ever  visible  in  a  perfectly  clear  atmosphere.  I  often  ob- 
serve it  just  silvering  or  rendering  luminous  the  upper  edge 
of  low  fog  or  cloud  banks,  and  with  a  few  vertical  rays 
feebly  vibrating. 

Last  evening  Dr.  Walker  called  me  to  witness  his  success 
with  the  electrometer.  The  electric  current  was  so  very 
weak  that  the  gold-leaves  diverged  at  regular  intervals  of 
four  or  five  seconds.  Some  hours  afterward  it  was  strong 
•nough  to  keep  them  diverged. 

2lst. — Midwinter  day.  Out  of  the  Arctic  regions  it  is 
better  known  as  the  shortest  day.  At  noon  we  could  just 
read  type  similar  to  the  leading  article  of  the  '  Times." 
Few  people  could  read  more  than  two  or  three  lines  without 
their  eyes  aching.  •      -  . 

21/^. — Our  Christmas  was  a  very  cheerful,  merry  onOi 


m 


se 


AN  ARCTIC  CHRISTMAS. 


Cnip.  \ 


The  men  were  supplied  with  several  additional  arlicles,  such 
as  hams,  plum-paddings,  preserved  gooseberries  and  apples, 
nuts,  sweetmeats,  and  Burton  ale.  After  Divine  Service 
they  decorated  the  lower  deck  with  flags,  and  made  an  im> 
mense  display  of  food.  The  officers  came  down  with  me  to 
see  their  preparations.  We  were  really  astonished  I  Thj 
mess-tables  were  laid  out  like  the  counters  in  a  confec* 
tioner's  shop,  with  apple  and  gooseberry  tarts,  plum  and 
sponge-cakes  in  pyramids,  besides  various  other  unknown 
puffs,  cakes,  and  loaves  of  all  sizes  and  shapes.  We  bake 
all  our  own  bread,  and  excellent  it  is.  In  the  background 
were  nicely-browned  hams,  meat-pies,  cheeses,  and  other 
substantial  articles.  Rum  and  water  in  wine-glasses,  and 
plum-cake,  were  handed  to  us :  we  wished  them  a  happy 
Christmas,  and  complimented  them  on  their  taste  and  spirit 
in  getting  up  such  a  display.  Our  silken  sledge-banners 
had  been  borrowed  for  the  occasion,  and  were  regarded  with 
deference  and  peculiar  pride. 

In  the  evening  the  officers  were  enticed  down  amongst  the 
men  again,  and  at  a  late  hour  I  was  requested,  as  a  great 
favor,  to  come  down  and  see  how  much  they  were  enjoying 
themselves.     I  found  them  in  the  highest  good  humor  with 
themselves  and  all  the  world.     They  were  perfectly  sober, 
and  singing  songs,  each  in  his  turn.     I  expressed  great 
satisfaction  at  having  seen  them  enjoying  themselves  so 
much  and  so  rationally.     I  could  therefore  the  better  dfr  | 
scribe  it  to  Lady  Franklin,  who  was  so  deeply  interested  in  i 
everj  thing  relating  to  them.     I  drank  their  healths,  and 
hoped  our  position  next  year  would  be  more  suitable  for  | 
our  purpose.    We  all  joined  in  drinking  the  healths  of 
Lady  Franklin  and  Miss  Cracroft,  and  amid  the  acclama* 
tions  which  followed  I  returned  to  my  cabin,  immensely  | 
gratified  by  such  an  exhibition  of  genuine  good  feeling, 
such  veneration  for  Lady  Franklin,  and  such  loyalty  to  th«| 
cause  of  the  expedition.    It  was  very  pleasant  also  that 


Jax.  1858. 


NEW    YEAR'S    DAY. 


87 


they  bad  taken  the  most  cheering  view  of  our  future  pros- 
pects. I  verily  believe  I  was  the  happiest  individual  on 
board,  that  happy  evening. 

Our  Christmas-box  has  come  in  the  shape  of  northerly 
winds,  which  bid  fair  to  drift  us  southward  toward  those 
latitudes  wherein  we  hope  for  liberation  next  spring  from 
this  icy  bondage. 

28//i. — We  have  been  in  expectation  of  a  gale  all  day. 
This  evening  there  is  still  a  doubtful  sort  of  truce  amongst 
tlie  elements.  Barometer  down  to  2883;  thermometer  up 
to  -}-5°  although  the  wind  has  been  strong  and  steady  from 
the  N.  for  twenty -four  hours,  low  scud  flying  from  the  E., 
snow  constantly  falling.  An  hour  ago  the  wind  suddenly 
changed  to  S.  S.  E. ;  the  snowing  has  ceased ;  thermometer 
falls  and  barometer  rises. 

2nd  Jan,  1858.  New-Year's  day  was  a  second  edition 
of  Christmas,  and  quite  as  pleasantly  spent.  We  dwelt 
much  upon  the  anticipations  of  the  future,  being  a  more 
agreeable  theme  than  the  failure  of  the  past.  I  con- 
fess to  a  hearty  welcome  for  the  new  year— anxious,  of 
course,  that  we  may  escape  uninjured,  and  sufficiently  early 
I  to  pursue  the  object  of  our  voyage. 

Exactly  at  midnight,  on  the  31st  December,  t^e  arrival 

of  the  new  year  was  announced  to  me  by  our  band — two 

I  flutes  and  an  accordion — striking  up  at  my  door.     There 

was  also  a  procession,  or  perhaps  I  should  say  a  continua- 

I  tion  of  the  band ;  these  performers  were  grotesquely  attired, 

and  armed  with  frying  pans,  gridirons,  kettles,  pots,  and 

I  pans,  with  which  to  join  in  and  add  to  the  effect  of  the  other 

music  I 

We  have  a  very  level  hard  walk  alongside  the  ship  ;  it  is 
narrowed  to  two  or  three  yards  in  width  by  a  snow-bank 
I  four  feet  high.  In  the  face  of  this  bank  some  twenty-five 
I  Mes  have  been  excavated  for  the  dogs  and  in  them  they 


t!V 


88 


SUFFERINQS  OF  Dll.  KANE'S  DESERTERS.        Chap.  Y 


Spend  most  of  their  time  It  looks  verv  formidable  in  im 
moonlight,  being  a  good  imitation  of  a  casemated  battery. 

After  our  rubber  of  whist  on  New  Year's  night,  Petorssa 
related  to  ns  some  of  his  dreadful  sufferiDgs  when  with  the 
party  of  deserters  from  Dr.  Kane.  They  soent  the  monthii 
of  October  and  November  in  Booth  Sound,  lat.  77°;  all 
that  time  upon  the  verge  of  starvation,  unable  to  advaDc« 
cr  retreat.  For  these  two  months  they  had  no  other  fuel 
than  tlieir  small  cedar  boat,  the  smoke  of  which  was  noi  es* 
durable  in  their  wretched  hut,  and  without  light,  for  thesno 
left  them  in  October,  unless  we  except  one  inch-and-a-half 
of  taper  daily,  which  they  inade  out  of  a  lump  of  bees'-wax 
that  accidentally  found  its  way  into  their  boat  before  leav- 
ing the  ship.  In  December  they  regained  their  vessel.  I 
«m  surprised  that  no  account  of  the  extreme  hardships  ot 
this  party — so  far  exceeding  that  of  their  shipmates  on 
board — has  ever  appeared ;  and  I  regret  it,  as  I  believe 
they  owed  their  lives  to  the  experience  and  fidelity  of  their 
interpreter  Petersen.*  At  first  the  Esquimaux  assisted 
them ;  latterly  they  were  quite  unable  to  do  so,  and  became 
anxious  to  get  rid  of  their  visitors.  Observing  how  weak* 
ened  they  had  become,  the  Esquimaux  endeavored  to  se- 
parate them  from  their  guns  and  from  each  other,  and  even 
used  threatening  language. 

During  December  we  drifted  6T  miles,  directly  down 
Baffin's  Bay  toward  the  Atlantic,  and  are  now  in  lat.  14°. 
Althongh  it  is  quite  impossible  to  discriminate  between  the 
several  influences  which  probably  govern  our  movements,  or 
to  ascertain  how  much  is  due  to  each  of  them — such  as  the 
relative  positions  of  ice,  land„and  open  water,  winds,  cur- 
rents and  earth's  rotation — yet  it  appears  in  the  present 
instance  that  the  wind  is  almost  the  sole  agent  in  hastening 
this  vast  continent  of  ice  toward  the  latitudes  of  its  disso- 
lution. We  move  before  the  wind  in  proportion  to  its 
■trength :  we  remain  stationary  in  calm  weather.    Neitbtf 


«  For  a  thrilling  account  of  the  sufferings  of  this  party,  see  "God- 
frey'tt  Narrative  of  tho  Kane  Arctic  Exploring  Expedition.*' 


ITak.  1S58. 


RETURN    OP   THE    SUN. 


89 


iiurfucc  nor  submarine  current  has  been  detected  ;  the  large 
fccebergs  obey  the  same  influences  as  the  surface  ice.  We 
[have  noticed  a  slight  set  to  the  westward — it  is  not  likely 
|to  be  produced  by  current,  and  may  be  the  result  of  the 
learth's  motion  from  west  to  east. 

^Ih. — Many  lanes  of  water.  A  seal  has  been  seen,  the 
lonly  one  for  six  weeks.  Of  the  old  ice  which  so  closely 
Ihemmed  us  in  up  to  the  middle  of  September,  there  is 
Ibardly  any  within  several  miles  of  us  except  the  large  floe- 
Ipiece  we  are  frozen  to.  Every  crack  or  lane  which  opens 
is  quickly  covered  with  young  ice,  so  that  it  cannot  close 
again  ;  and  in  this  manner  the  old  ice  has  been  spread  out. 
1 1  rejoice  in  its  dispersion. 

To-day  I  put  a  tumblerful  of  our  strong  ale  (Alsopp's) 
loti  deck  to  freeze :  this  was  soon  effected,  the  temperature 
being  -35°.  After  bringing  it  below,  and  when  its  temper- 
ature had  risen  to  17*^,  it  was  almost  all  thawed — at  22°  it 
was  completely  so  :  it  looked  muddy,  but  settled  after 
standing  for  a  couple  of  hours,  when  I  drank  it  off,  in 
every  way  satisfied  with  my  experiment  and  my  beer ;  it 
seemed  none  the  worse  for  its  freezing,  but  rather  flat  from 
jits  long  exposure  in  a  tumbler. 

Wh. — Northerly  winds  blow  almost  constantly.  We 
I  have  drifted  60  miles  since  the  1st,  and  are  only  115  miles 
from  Upernivik, — once  more  upon  confines  of  the  habitable 
world  1  good  light  for  three  hours  daily  ;  all  this  is  cheer- 
ing. We  continue  our  snow-hut  practice,  and  can  build 
I  one  in  three-quarters  of  ah  hour. 

28//i. — The  upper  edge  of  the  sun  appeared  above  the 

I  horizon  to-day,  after  an  absence  of  eighty-nine  days ;  it  was 

a  gladdening  sight.   I  sent  for  the  ship's  steward,  and  asked 

what  was  the  custom  on  such  occasions  ?    **  To  hoist  tho 

[colors,  and  serve  out  an  extra  half-gill,  sir,"  was  the  ready 

reply:  accordingly,  the  Harwich  lion  soon  fluttered  in  a 


90 


CONSTANT  ACTION  OP  THE  ICE. 


CHAr.r,^H|Rca,  1858. 


breeze  cool  enough  to  stiffen  the  limbs  of  ordinary  lio^j 
and  in  the  evening  the  grog  was  issued. 

dOth. — Our  messmate  Pussy  is  unwell,  and  won't  eat ; 
vain  has  Hobsoa  tempted  her  with  raw  seal's  flesh,  pn 
served  salmon,  preserved  milk,  etc. ;  at  length  castorol 
was  forcibly  administered.  Puss  is  a  great  favorite,  oj 
finest  dog.  Sultan,  is  also  sick,  and  his  coat  is  in  bad  order; 
blubber  has  been  prescribed  for  him; — and  poor  old  Maijl 
has  fits,  not  uncommon  after  the  long  winter.  Petersen  m 
mediately  ordered  her  to  be  bled  by  slitting  her  ear ;  bntl 
Christian,  in  his  fright  and  haste,  cropped  the  tip  of  it  oti 
These  comprise  our  only  medical  cases.  A  dovekie,  inij 
white  winter  plumage,  and  two  seals  have  been  seen  lately. 

15/^  Feb. — The  returning  daylight  cheers  us  up  wonder! 
fully — not  that  we  were  suffering,  either  mentally  or  bodEjJ 
but  the  change  is  most  agreeable;  we  can  take  much  long. 
walks  than  were  possible  during  the  dark  period.  The  meil 
have  been  supplied  with  muskets,  and  go  out  sporting  J 
ardently  as  schoolboys.  I  took  a  long  walk  towards  one  ofl 
our  iceberg  companions,  but  could  not  quite  reach  it,  ul 
weak  ice  intervened,  each  step  producing  an  undulatioul 
Finding  the  point  of  my  knife  went  through  it  with  boll 
very  slight  resistance,  I  gave  up  the  attempt  and  tmm 
back.  The  ship's  masts  were  scarcely  visible  in  the  dij-| 
tance ;  almost  the  whole  of  the  intervening  ice  was  of 
winter's  growth,  and  in  many  places  much  crushed  up. 

Daylight  reveals  to  us  evidences  of  vast  ice  moveirientil 
having  taken  place  during  the  dark  months  when  we  fanciedl 
all  was  still  and  quiet ;  and  we  now  see  how  greatly  we  harel 
been  favored,  what  innumerable  chances  of  destruction  «t| 
have  unconsciously  escaped  I  A  few  days  ago  the  ice  snil-l 
denly  cracked  within  ten  yards  of  the  ship,  and  gave  h«f| 
such  a  smart  shock  that  every  one  rushed  on  deck  wiiil 
astonishing  alacrity.  One  of  these  sudden  disruptions  o^l 
curred  between  me  and  the  ship  when  I  was  returning  frool 


CHAr.r,^H|ftca,  1858. 


RETURN  OF  A  DESERTER. 


n 


|e  iceberg ;  the  sun  was  jast  setting  as  I  found  myself  cut 
Had  I  been  on  the  other  side  I  would  have  loitered  to 
[joy  a  refreshing  gaze  upon  this  dark  streak  of  water;  but 
br  a  smart  run  of  about  a  mile  along  its  edge,  and  finding 

place  to  cross,  visions  of  a  pattol  on  the  floe  for  tho 
ig  night  of  fifteen  hours  began  to  obtrude  themselves  I 
It  length  I  reached  a  place  where  the  j^ged  edges  of  the 
l^es  met,  so  crossed  and  got  safely  ou4>oard.  Nothing 
13  seen  during  this  walk  of  nearly  25  miles  except  one 
il.  Recent  gales  have  drifted  us  rapidly  southward ; 
icks  and  lanes  are  very  numerous. 

I  On  the  1st  a  blue  (or  sooty)  fox  was  shot.  Although 
{0  geographical  miles  from  the  nearest  land  he  was  very 
hence  we  argue  dovekics  were  much  more  numerous 
iriug  winter  than  we  supposed.  We  have  often  noticed 
le  tracks  of  foxes  following  up  those  of  the  bears,  pro- 
jblyfor  discarded  scraps  of  the  seals  upon  which  they  prey, 
[obson's  favorite  dog  "  Chummie"  has  returned,  after  an  ab- 
ice  of  six  days,  decidedly  hungry,  but  he  can  hardly  have 
|ea  without  food  all  that  time ;  some  fox  may  have  lured 
|m  off.   He  evinced  great  delight  in  getting  back,  devoted 

first  attentions  to  a  hearty  meal,  then  rubbed  himself  up 
gainst  his  own  particular  associates,  after  which  he  sought 
^t  and  attacked  the  weakest  of  his  enemies,  and,  soothed 

their  howlings,  coiled  himself  up  for  a  long  sleep. 
\ht  March. — February  has   been   a  remarkably  mild, 

)udy,  windy  month  :  the  winter  temperature  may  be  said 

have  passed  away  by  the  10th,  the  average  temperature 
the  first  ten  days  being  -25°,  whilst  for  the  remainder 

the  month  it  was  -11°.     Had  one  fallen  asleep  for  a 

)Dth  at  least,  he  could  not  reasonably  have  expected  to 
»d  a  greater  change  on  awaking.  Our  drift  has  been  also 
feat*,— 166  miles.    We  are  south  of  the  TOth  parallel,  and 

ay  soon  be  expelled  from  our  icy  home. 

I  On  the  24th  there  was  a  fearful  gale  of  wind.     Had  not 


COURSE  OP  DRIFT. 


ClAM 


oar  housing  been  very  well  secured,  it  mast  have  been  hh 
away.  We  are  preparing  for  sea,  removing  the  snow  fm 
off  the  deelc  and  round  the  ship ;  our  skylights  have 
dug  out  (in  winter  they  are  always  covered  with  a  tk 
layer  of  snow),  and  tfie  flood  of  light  which  beams  don 
through  them  is  quite  charming.  How  intolerably  so 
and  smoke-dried  everything  looks. 

Cr  ue  2'7th  the  first  seal  of  this  year  was  shot ;  it  i 
in  good  time,  for  the  fifty-one  seals  shot  in  autumn  wo 
finished  only  two  days  before  :  our  English  supply  of  do 
food  therefore  remains  almost  untouched.  Snow  was 
served  to  melt  against  the  ship's  side  exposed  to  the  sn 
the  thermometer  in  the  shade  standing  at  -22®  !  A  xg 
fine  dog  has  died  from  eating  a  quantity  of  salt  fish, 
he  managed  to  get  at,  although  it  was  supposed  to  be  qui 
out  of  his  reach. 

One  of  the  two  large  icebergs  which  commenced 
voyage  with  us  last  October,  in  T5J°  N.,  has  drifted  out^ 
sight  to  the  S.E.,  the  other  one  is  far  off  in  the  N.W. 
attribute  these  increased  distances  solely  to  the  spread!^ 
abroad  of  the  intervening  ice. 
'    When  we  were  far  north,  and  probably  drifting  nioj 
slowly  than  the  ice  in  the  stream  of  Lancaster  Sound  to  I 
westward  of  us,  the  ship's  head  turned  very  gradually  fn 
right  to  left,  from  N  .N.  W.  to  W. ;  when  about  the  par 
of  72®  N.,  we  supposed  ourselves  to  be  drifting  faster! 
the  western  ice ;  in  this,  as  in  the  previous  case,  compaii 
oar  drift  with  that  of  Lieutenant  De  Haven,  the  ship's  1 
slowly  shifted  back  to  the  right  as  far  as  W.  N.  W. ;  latta 
it  has  not  changed  at  all:  we  are  in  a  narrower  parti 
Davis'  Strait,  where  the  winds  probably  blow  with  equl 
force  from  shore  to  shore  and  drift  the  whole  pack  atj 
uniform  rate. 

5^. — On  the  2nd  four  fat  seals  and  some  dovekies 
shot;  the  largest  seal  weighed  170  lbs.,  the  smallest  1^ 


Ut.  1868. 


DISCO  6I0HTED. 


98 


bs. '  they  were  males  of  the  species  Phoca  hespida,  or 
fboca  foetida,  the  latter  epithet  being  by  far  the  most  ap- 
roprlate  at  this  season ;  the  disagreeable  odor  resembles 
irlic,  and  taints  the  whole  animal  so  strongly  that  even 
squimaux  are  nearly  overpowered  by  it :  this  is  almost 
^e  only  description  of  seal  we  have  obtained,  but  the 
[males  are  at  all  seasons  free  from  fetor.  Several  long 
Ines  of  water  extend  at  right  angles  to  the  straits. 

The  Doctor  has  taken  a  photograph  of  the  ship  by  the 
Ibuinen  process  on  glass  ;  the  temperature  at  the  time  was 
Blow  zero.  Upon  the  3rd  and  4th  a  well -re  marked  re  vol  v- 
ig  storm  passed  nearly  over  us  to  the  W.  N.  W. ;  its  ex- 
feme  diameter  was  30  hours,  that  of  the  strength  of  the 
}lc  18  hours ;  its  centre  probably  passed  about  one-tenth 

its  diameter  to  the  S.  W.     The  barometer  was  rather 

(gh,  having  risen  just  before  the  wind  commenced  at  N.  E. ; 

it  it  now  fell  half  an  inch  in  ten  hours,  and  continued  to 

|ll  until  the  wind  shifted — almost  su^idenl}' — through  S.  E. 

S.  S.  W. ;  immediately  the  barometer  got  up  rapidly. 
[s  the  barometer  fell,  the  temperature  rose  from  zero  to 
-18°,  and  fell  again  after  the  change  of  wind.  This 
[olent  storm  brought  with  it  a  smart  hail-shower. 

The  depression  of  the  ice  about  the  bows,  in  consequence 

a  vast  accumulation  of  snow-drift  upon  it,  brought  the 
iip  down  by  the  head  considerably ;  to-day  this  ice  sud- 
puly  detached  itself,  and  the  fore  part  of  the  vessel  sprang 
she  still  remains  frozen  and  held  down  abaft.  The 
^ow-banking  looks  very  woe-begone  after  this  ice-quake ; 

inclioes  out  from  the  ship,  and  in  many  places  has  been 
Rostrated  by  the  shock. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  Tth  the  high  land  of  Disco 
s«en ;  its  distance  was  upwards  of  90  miles. 


^1 


\l 


94 


A  BEAR  FIQHT. 


C«if.n 


I    ! 

I 


I    ' 


CHAPTER    VI. 

A  bear-flj;ht — An  ice-nip — Strong  gale?,  rnpid  drift — The 'Fox'  bmbl 
out  of  tlie  pac]{ — Hanging  on  to  floe-edge — Tlie  Arctic  bear— Aninl 
tournament — Tlio  'Fox*  in  peril — A  storm  in  the  pacls — Escape  im\ 
the  paclc. 


9th  March. — A  bear  was  seen  this  morning ;  but  as  ImI 
was  going  away  from  us,  the  dogs  were  brought  out  in  tlitl 
hope  that  they  might  keep  him  at  bay  until  the  sportsranl 
came  up.  It  was  very  pretty  to  see  them  take  up  the  sceDi| 
the  moment  they  caught  sigiit  of  him  they  set  off  at 
speed.  Bruin  had  seen  them  first,  and  increased  his  pa«| 
to  a  clumsy  gallop,  yet  the  dogs  were  soon  around  him;  ImI 
seemed  to  care  but  little  about  them,  steadily  making  oil 
and  following  the  trending  of  a  recently  frozen  crack  ill 
search  of  clear  water,  evidently  aware  that  his  persecuton] 
would  not  follow  him  there. 

After  five  hours  all  returned  on  board  again  ;  out  of  tlii| 
ten  dogs  four  were  wounded  by  his  claws, — skin  deep  orljJ 
but  one  of  the  wounds  was  seven  inches  inches  in  lengtli| 
as  if  made  with  a  sharp  knife  I  this  was  sewed  up,  tli 
others  were  merely  trimmed,  and  nature,  I  am  inforraei| 
will  do  all  the  rest.     It  is  really  wonderful  what  can 
nature  and  instinct  effect :   notwithstanding  the   cxtreii 
cold,  no  external  dressings  are  applied,  because  the  anirail 
must  not  be  prevented  from  licking  its  wound.     Peter?es| 
says  this  bear  must  be  very  thin,  else  he  could  not  run 
fast.     I  think  it  very  probable  that  he  has  been  huntfl 


AN  ICE.NIP. 


cforc,  nnd  that  fear  lent  him  wings.    A  black  whale  has 
ecu  seen. 

Wlh.—Two  small  seals  free  from  taint  were  shot  ycster- 
IV,  so  we  had  fried  liver  and  steaks  for  breakfast  this 
korning ;  both  were  good,  but  the  steaks  were  preferred ; 
ley  were  very  dark  and  very  tender,  had  been  cut  thin,  de- 
rived of  all  fat,  and  washed  in  two  or  three  waters  to  get 
1(1  of  the  blubber. 

I6//1. — Several  long  lanes  of  water  have  again  opened, 
It  now  all  of  them  extend  parallel  to  the  direction  of  the 
|raits;  one  lane  passed  within  120  yards  of  the  ship;  its 
[tremes  are  not  visible  even  from  aloft ;  the  ice  upon  its 
^st  side  has  a  more  rapid  southerly  motion  than  that  upon 

west  side. 

18/A. — Last  night  the  ice  closed,  shutting  up  our  lane, 
^t  its  opposite  sides  continued  for  several  hours  to  move 

St  each  other,  rubbing  off  all  projections,  crushing  and 
rciDg  out  of  water  masses  four  feet  thick :  although  120 
[rds  distant,  this  pressure  shook  the  ship  and  cracked  the 
tervening  ice. 

|Iwent  out  with  a  lantern  to  see  the  nip, — it  certainly  was 
nspiring ;  no  one  in  his  senses  could  avoid  reflecting 
bon  the  inevitable  fate  of  a  ship  if  exposed  to  such  fearful 
ressure.     It  is  now  spring  tides. 

19/^. — All  yesterday  the  lane  remained   open  ;  in  the 
lening  it  closed  with  but  slight  pressure ;  yet  as  the  op- 
jslng  fields  of  ice  continued  to  move  in  opposite  directions, 
jagged  points  were  brushed  oflF,  and  the  debris  thus 

rmed  between  their  edges  presented  a  heaving  surface  of 
praasses, — an  ice  river.     On  the  separation  of  the  floes, 

I>S8  after  mass  forced  itself  up  to  the  surface,  until  at 

Jgth  aH  the  submerged  ice  had  risen,  except  such  as  had 

Bii  forced  quite  under  their  edges.  One  seldom  meets 
|th  a  cleanly  fractured  floe-edge,  they  are  usually  fringed 

th  crashed-up  ice  or  newly  formed  sludge. 


96 


BTRONQ  GALES. 


Cbaf.VI 


2Zrd. — Seals  and  dovekies  are  now  common ;  the  latttf 
have  already  made  considerable  adrances  toward  their  snis- 1 
mer  plumage. 

Yesterday  there  was  a  very  heavy  S.  E.  gale ;  it  blew  so  I 
furiously,  and  the  snow-drift  was  so  dense,  that  we  coQld| 
neither  hear  nor  see  what  was  going  on  twenty  yards  off; 
at  night  the  ship,  becoming  suddenly  detached  from  the  ice,  I 
heeled  oyer  to  the  storm ;  until  the  cause  was  ascertained 
we  thought  the  ice  had  broken  up  and  pressed  against  tb« 
ship.     It  was  not  so ;  but  when  the  weather  moderated  til 
found  that  there  had  been  heavy  pressure  upon  the  edge  of  I 
the  floes, — so  much,  indeed,  that  the  lane  of  water  was  noil 
within  70  yards  of  the  '  Fox ;'  and  that  ice  4}  feet  thick  Ml 
been  crushed  during  the  storm  for  a  distance  of  about  5i| 
yards. 

25th. — Strong  N.  W.  winds  lately,  the  ship  rocking  til 
the  breeze,  and  rubbing  her  poor  sides  against  the  ice,  pri>| 
ducing  a  creaking  sound  which  is  far  from  pleasant.  MonI 
ice  squeezing,  and  a  further  inroad  upon  our  barrier ;  it  iwl 
yielded  slightly,  nipping  the  ship,  inclining  her  to  port,  aiiil| 
lifting  her  stern  about  a  foot.  Occasional  groanings  withii 
and  surgings  of  the  ice  without. 

Our  boats,  provisions,  sledges,  knapsacks,  and  equipmed 
are  ready  for  a  hasty  departure, — beyond  this  we  can  dij 
nothing ;  as  long  as  our  friendly  barrier  lasts  wo  need  oot 
fear,  but  who  can  tell  the  moment  it  may  be  demolished,  ani 
the  ship  exposed  to  destruction  ?  I  am  scribbling  within^ 
foot  of  the  sternpost — ^in  fact,  there  is  a  notch  in  my 
to  receive  it ;  and  I  sympathize  with  its  constant  groauingsj 
the  ice  allows  it  no  rest. 

2*lth. — Strong  N.  W.  g.\le  with  a  return  of  cold  weathei 
We  have  drifted  39  milet  in  the  last  forty-eight  honrsl 
The  lane  is  open ;  the  whole  pack  appears  to  have  plen^ 
of  room  to  drift,  and,  I  am  happy  to  add,  is  taking  adra 
age  of  it, — so  much  so  that  the  smaller  pieces  floating 


iPi.  1858. 


BREAKING  UP  OF  ICB. 


9t 


Id  the  lane  can  hardly  go  at  the  same  pace  Oar  remaining 
winter  companion,  the  iceberg,  was  in  sight  a  few  days  ago, 
far  away  to  the  N.  W. ;  it  may  be  still  viiible  froiu  aloft, 
bat  these  March  gales  cat  so  Iteenly,  that  the  crow'n-nest  is 
but  seldom  visited. 

ZUt. — Aiiother  N.  W.  gale  ;  it  is  also  spring  tides,  and 
this  conjanction  raalccs  one  fearful  of  ice  movement  and 
pressure ;  but  it  seems  as  if  the  pack  had  more  room  to 
move  in,  as  it  does  not  close  much.  Seals  are  often  shot, 
bear  tracks  are  common,  and  narwhals  are  frequently  seen 
migrating  northward.  The  bears  must  prefer  the  night- 
time for  wandering  about,  else  we  could  not  help  seeing 
them ;  we  often  find  their  tracks  within  a  few  hundred  yards 
uf  the  ship. 

Although  the  last,  yet  this  is  the  coldest  day  of  the 
month — the  thermometer  down  to  -27^.  The  mean  tem- 
perature for  March  has  been  unusually  high,  -3^ ;  whilst 
Lieutenant  De  Haven's  was  -17^.  Notwithstanding  that 
heavy  S.  E.  gales  have  three  times  driven  us  backward,  yet 
we  have  advanced  100  miles  further  down  Davis'  Straits. 

%th  April. — To-day  we  enjoy  fine  weather,  the  more  so 
since  it  comes  after  a  tremendous  northerly  gale  of  forty- 
eight  hourss'  duration.  Two  days  ago  the  friendly  old  floe, 
so  long  our  bulwark  of  defence,  was  cracked ;  the  lane  of 
water  thus  formed  soon  widened  to  60  yards,  passed  within 
30  yards  of  the  '  Fox,'  and  cut  ofif  three  of  our  boats. 
Yesterday  morning  another  crack  detached  the  remaining 
30  yards  from  us,  and  as  it  widened  the  ship  swung  across 
the  opening ;  as  quickly  as  we  could  eflfect  it  the  ship  was 
again  placed  alongside  the  ice  and  within  a  projecting 
point ;  had  it  closed  only  a  few  feet  whilst  she  lay  across 
the  lane,  the  consequences  must  have  been  very  serious. 
Even  to  effect  this  slight  change  of  position  we  were  fully 
occupied  for  four  hours ;  for  the  gale  blew  furiously,  and 
thermometer  stood  at  12^  below  zero,  and  the  cold  was  very 


>,' 


98 


OUT  OF  THE  PACK. 


Chap.  VI. 


much  felt ;  oar  hawsers  were  frozen  so  stiff  as  to  be  qnite 
unmanageable,  and  we  were  obliged  to  use  the  chain  cables 
to  warp  the  ship  into  safety. 

Throughout  yesterday  the  wind  continued  extremely 
strong  and  keen, — fortunately  the  ice  remained  perfectly 
still :  our  funnels  refused  to  draw  up  the  smoke ;  so  that 
between  the  suffocation,  the  cold,  and  anxiety  lest  the  ice 
should  move,  our  Easter  Monday  was  sufficiently  miserable. 
The  half  of  our  poor  dogs  were  cut  off  from  the  ship  by 
the  lane,  and  continued  to  howl  dismally  until  late,  when 
the  new  ice  over  the  lane  was  strong  enough  to  bear  them, 
and  they  came  across  to  us. 

To-day  we  have  recovered  the  boats,  shot  four  seals,  seen 
two  whales,  and  much  water  to  the  eastward ;  we  are  in 
latitude  67°  18'  N.,  and  highly  delighted  with  the  rapidity 
of  our  southern  drift.        :•   ' 

lOth. — Yesterday  evening  the  setting  sun  rendered  visible 
the  western  land,  probably  Cape  Dyer.  We  have  drifted 
to  miles  in  the  last  week,  and  are  only  1 8  miles  from  De 
Haven's  position  of  escape ;  but  as  we  are  two  months 
earlier,  wc  must  expect  to  be  carried  farther  south. 

12th. — This  morning  we  drifted  ingloriously  out  of  the 
Arctic  regions,  and  with  what  very  different  feelings  from 
those  with  which  we  crossed  the  Arctic  circle  eight  months 
ago  1  However,  we  have  not  done  with  it  yet;  directly  the 
ice  lets  us  go,  we  will  (D.V.)  re-enter  the  frigid  zone,  and 
"try  again,"  with,  I  trust,  better  success.     > 

A  gull  and  a  few  terns  appeared  to-day ;  these  are  the 
first  of  our  summer  visitors.  The  temperature  improves ; 
yesterday  at  one  o'clock  it  was  -f  19°  in  the  shade,  -f-15° 
in  the  crow's  nest  70  feet  high,  and  -{-51°  against  a  black 
surface  exposed  to  the  sun.  ■.  r  ». 

16/^. — Last  night  a  bear  came  to  the  ship,  was  wounded 
but  escaped ;  to-day  the  tracks  were  followed  up  for  three 
miles,  the  bear  found,  and  again  wounded — finally  the  un^ 


Apb.  1858. 


DOOS  LOST. 


99 


locky  beast  was  shot  in  the  water  seTen  miles  from  the 
the  ship ;  it  was  lost  in  consequence  of  the  rapid  drifting 
of  the  ice,  which  ran  over  the  floating  carcase. 

To-night  a  dense  fog-bank  rests  upon  the  water  to  the 
soatbword ;  its  upper  edge  is  illuminated  by  aurora,  show- 
ing a  faint  tremulous  light. 

\1lh. — Another  northerly  gale ;  holding  fast  to  the  ice 
with  three  hawsers ;  snow-drift  limits  the  view  to  a  couple 
of  miles,  so  all  to  the  eastward  appears  water,  and  to  the 
westward  ice. 

Last  night  the  ice  opened  considerably :  to  secure  the 
ship  occupied  us  for  six  hours ;  several  of  the  dogs  were 
again  cut  ofif ;  as  the  ice  they  were  on  was  rapidly  drifting 
away,  I  sent  a  boat  to  recover  them  ;  it  was  a  difficult  and 
hazardous  business,  but  at  length  the  boat  and  dogs  re- 
turned  in  safety,  to  my  great  relief,  for  it  was  both  dark  and 
late. 

18/A. — Yesterday  morning  when  I  wrote  up  my  journal, 
I  was  hoping  to  hold  on  quietly  to  the  floe-edge  until  the 
wind  moderated,  when  with  clear  weather  we  could  take 
advantage  of  the  openings  and  make  some  progress  towards 
the  clear  sea.  We  were  unable  to  hold  on,  for  the  floe- 
edge  broke  away,  setting  us  adrift ;  some  time  was  occupied 
in  fetching  off  the  boats  and  dogs, — five  of  the  latter  unfor- 
tunately would  not  allow  themselves  to  be  caught.  As  speed- 
ily as  possible  the  rudder  was  shipped  and  sail  set,  and  be- 
fore three  o'clock  the  ship  was  running  fast  to  the  eastward  1 
During  the  night  the  ice  closed,  and  at  daylight  scarcely 
any  water  was  visible  ;  with  the  exception  of  a  couple  of 
icebergs,  all  the  ice  in  sight  was  not  more  than  two  days 
old;  it  mainly  owes  its  origin  and  rapid  growth  to  the 
immense  quantities  of  snow  blown  off  the  pack. 

It  still  blows  hard,  and  the  thermometer  stands  at  11^. 
A  sadden  opening  of  the  ice  this  forenoon  allowed  us  to 


ra 


^"t'^a 


100 


THE  ARCTIC  BEAR. 


Chap.  VL 


run  a  few  miles  southward,  and  then  it  closed  again ;  we 
are  now  surrounded  by  young  ice. 

20th. — We  have  been  carried  rapidly  past  the  position 
where  the  Arctic  discovery  §hip  *  Resolute*  was  picked  up. 

Yesterday  three  bears,  a  fulmar  petrel,  and  a  snow- bunt- 
ing were  seen ;  to-day  a  fine  bear  came  within  150  yards, 
and  was  shot  by  our  sportsmen ;  as  they  were  standing 
round  it  afterwards  upon  the  ice,  a  small  seal,  the  only  one 
seen  for  several  days,  popped  up  its  head  as  if  to  exult 
over  its  fallen  enemy — it  was  of  course  instantly  shot; 
we  have  learnt  to  esteem  seal's  liver  for  breakfast  very 
highly. 

It  seems  hardly  right  to  call  polar  bears  land  animals ; 
they  abound  here, — 110  geographical  miles  from  the  nearest 
land, — upon  very  loose  broken-up  ice,  which  is  steadily 
drifting  into  the  Atlantic  at  the  rate  of  12  or  14  miles 
daily ;  to  remain  upon  it  would  insure  their  destruction  if 
were  they  not  nearly  amphibious ;  they  hunt  by  scent,  and 
are  constantly  running  across  and  against  the  wind,  which 
prevails  from  the  northward,  so  that  the  same  instinct 
which  directs  their  search  for  prey,  also  serves  the  import- 
ant purpose  of  guiding  them  in  the  direction  of  the  land 
and  more  solid  ice.  .       ' 

I  remarked  that  the  upper  part  of  both  Bruin's  forepaws 
were  rubbed  quite  bare ;  Petersen  explains  that  to  surprise 
the  seal  a  bear  crouches  down  with  his  forepaws  doubled 
underneath,  and  pushes  himself  noiselessly  forward  with  his 
hinder  legs  until  within  a  few  yards,  when  he  springs  upon 
the  unsuspecting  victim,  whether  in  the  water  or  upon  the 
ice.  The  Greenlanders  are  fond  of  bear's  flesh,  but  never 
eat  either  the  heart  or  liver,  and  say  that  these  parts  cause 
sickness.  No  instance  is  known  of  Greenland  bears  attack- 
ing men,  except  when  wounded  or  provoked ;  they  never 
disturb  the  Esquimaux  graves,  although  they  seldom  fail  to 


•■^>'; 


mi 


Apr.  1858 


I' 


i 


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of  loose 

A  na 
visiting 
whilst  k 
received 
posed ; 
smartly 
grim  ol( 
further  i 
and  com 
did  the  i 

I  had 
or  the  2 
refresh  t 
should  b 
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water, 
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hours  dfl 
pected. 

But  w 
steinbori 
we  may  ^ 
suitable 
in  Marcl 
June, 
have  tim 

24//1.- 
have  ex 
which  P 
day  we  1 
weather, 
reached 


1 


Apr.  1858. 


THE  OCEAN  SWELL. 


101 


rob  a  cache  of  seaPs  flesh,  which  is  a  similar  construction 
of  loose  stones  above  ground. 

A  native  of  Upernivik,  one  darlc  winter's  day,  was  out 
visiting  his  seal-nets.  He  found  a  seal  entangled,  and, 
whilst  kneeling  down  over  it  upon  the  ice  to  get  it  clear,  he 
received  a  slap  on  the  back — from  his  companion  as  he  sup- 
posed ;  but  a  second  and  heavier  blow  made  him  look 
smartly  round.  He  was  horror-stricken  to  see  a  peculiarly 
grim  old  bear  instead  of  his  comrade  I  without  deigning 
further  notice  of  the  man,  Brain  tore  the  seal  out  of  the  net 
and  commenced  his  supper.  He  was  not  interrupted ;  nor 
did  the  man  wait  to  see  the  meal  finished. 

I  had  long  ago  resolved,  if  we  escaped  before  the  15th, 
or  the  20th  April  at  the  latest,  to  go  to  Newfoundland  to 
refresh  the  crew  and  to  refit,  even  if  no  damage  from  the  ice 
should  be  sustained.  In  order  to  do  so  it  would  have  been 
necessary  for  us  to  visit  a  Greenland  port  for  a  supply  of 
water.  We  could  not  have  calculated  upon  much  assistance 
from  our  engines  upon  such  a  voyage,  Mr.  Brand  alone 
being  capable  of  working  the  engines,  so  that  ten  or  twelve 
hours  daily  is  all  the  steaming  that  could  have  been  ex- 
pected. 

But  we  are  still  ice-locked,  so  I  purpose  going  to  Hol- 
steinborg  in  preference  to  a  more  southern  port,  as  there 
we  may  expect  to  get  reindeer  and  a  small  supply  of  stores 
suitable  to  our  wants.  The  whalers  sometimes  reach  Disco 
in  March,  TJpernivik  in  May,  and  the  North  Water  early  in 
June.  Unless  we  should  be  at  once  set  free,  we  would  not 
have  time  to  spare  for  a  Newfoundland  voyage. 

24//i. — Another  anxious  week  has  passed.  Latterly  we 
have  experienced  southwesterly  currents  similar  to  those 
which  Parry  describes  when  beset  here  in  June,  1819.  To- 
day we  have  had  a  strong  S.  E.  breeze,  with  snow  and  dark 
weather.  The  wind  had  greatly  moderated  when  the  swell 
reached  us  about  eight  o'clock  this  evening.    It  is  now  ten 


i 


■'-•■"t«  *" 


';;•'.»-"'; 


102 


AN  ICE-TOURNAMENT. 


Chap.  VI 


o'clock ;  the  long  ocean  swell  already  lifts  its  crest  five  feet 
above  the  hollow  of  the  sea,  causing  its  thick  covering  of 
icy  fragments  to  da.;h  against  each  other  and  against  us 
with  unpleasant  violence.  It  is  however  very  beautiful  to 
look  upon,  the  dear  old  familiar  ocean-swell !  it  has  long 
been  a  stranger  to  us,  and  is  welcome  in  our  solitude.  If 
the  '  Fox'  was  as  solid  as  her  neighbors,  I  am  quite  sure  she 
would  enter  into  this  ice-tournament  with  all  their  apparent 
heartiness,  instead  of  audibly  making  known  her  sufferings 
to  us.  Every  considerable  surface  of  ice  has  been  broken 
into  many  smaller  ones ;  with  feelings  of  exultation  I  watched 
the  process  from  aloft.  A  iloe-piece  near  us,  of  100  yards 
in  diameter,  was  speedily  cracked  so  as  to  resemble  a  sort 
of  labyrinth,  or,  still  more,  a  field-spider's  web.  In  the 
course  of  half  an  hour  the  family  resemblance  was  totally 
lost;  they  had  so  battered  each  other,  and  struggled  out  of 
their  original  regularity.  The  rolling  sea  can  no  longer  be 
checked;  "the  pack  has  taken  upon  itself  the  functions  of 
an  ocean,"  as  Dr.  Kane  graphically  expresses  it. 

26^^. — At  sea !  How  am  I  to  describe  the  events  of  the 
last  two  days  ?  It  has  pleased  God  to  accord  to  us  a  de- 
liverance in  which  His  merciful  protection  contrasts — how 
strongly  1 — with  our  own  utter  helplessness ;  as  if  the  suc- 
cessive mercies  vouchsafed  to  us  during  our  long,  long 
winter  and  mysterious  ice-drift  had  been  concentrated  and 
repeated  in  a  single  act.  Thus  forcibly  does  His  great 
goodness  come  home  to  the  mind  I 

I  an  in  no  humor  for  writing,  being  still  tired,  seedy,  and 
perhaps  a  little  seasick ;  at  least  I  have  a  headache,  caused 
by  the  rolling  of  the  ship  and  rattling  noise  of  everything. 

On  Saturday  night,  the  24th,  I  went  on  deck  to  spend 
the  greater  part  of  it  in  watching,  and  to  determine  what 
to  do.  The  swell  greatly  increased ;  it  had  evidently  been 
approaching  for  hours  before  it  reached  us,  since  it  rose  in 
proportion  as  the  ice  was  broken  up  into  smaller  pieces. 


Am.  185S. 


THE  'POX'  IN  PERIL. 


103 


In  a  8hort  time  but  few  of  them  were  equal  ia  size  to  the 
ship's  deck ;  most  of  them  not  half  so  large.  I  knew  that 
near  the  pack-edge  the  sea  would  be  very  heavy  and  dan- 
gerous; but  the  wind  was  now  fair,  and  having  auxiliary 
steam-power,  I  resolved  to  push  out  of  the  ice  if  possible. 

Shortly  after  midnight  the  ship  was  under  sail,  slowly 
boring  her  way  to  the  eastward ;  at  two  o'clock  on  Sunday 
morning  commenced  steaming,  the  wind  having  failed.  By 
eight  o'clock  we  had  advanced  considerably  to  the  east- 
ward, and  the  swell  had  become  dangerously  high,  the 
waves  rising  ten  feet  above  the  trough  of  the  sea.  The 
shocks  of  the  ice  against  the  ship  were  alarmingly  heavy ; 
it  became  necessary  to  steer  exactly  head-on  to  swell.  We 
slowly  passed  a  small  iceberg  60  or  70  feet  high ;  the  swell 
forced  it  crashing  through  the  pack,  leaving  a  small  water- 
space  in  its  wake,  but  sufficient  to  allow  the  seas  to  break 
against  its  cliff's,  and  throw  the  spray  in  heavy  showers 
quite  over  its  summit. 

The  day  wore  on  without  change,  except  that  the  snow 
and  mists  cleared  offl  Gradually  the  swell  increased,  and 
rolled  along  more  swiftly,  becoming  in  fact  a  very  heavy 
regular  sea,  rather  than  a  swell.  The  ice  often  lay  so 
closely  packed  that  we  could  hardly  force  ahead,  although 
the  fair  wind  had  again  freshened  up.  Much  heavy  hum- 
mocky  ice  and  large  berg-pieces  lay  dispersed  through  the. 
pack ;  a  single  thump  from  any  of  them  would  have  been 
instant  destruction.  By  five  o'clock  the  ice  became  more 
loose,  and  clear  spaces  of  water  could  be  seen  ahead.  We 
went  faster,  received  fewer  though  still  more  severe  shocks, 
cntil  at  length  we  had  room  to  steer  clear  of  the  heaviest 
pieces ;  and  «t  ei,5ht  o'clock  we  emerged  from  the  villanous 
"pack,"  and  were  running  fast  through  straggling  pieces 
into  a  clear  sea.  The  engines  were  stopped,  and  Mr.  Brand 
permitted  to  rest  after  eighteen  hours'  duty,  for  we  now 
have  no  one  else  capable  of  driving  the  engines. 


^^%\ 


m 


•  ■  t* 


■•.'V:f 


(-. 


■»i'-i>i  v,.--»j    iS-JB 


104 


DANGER  FROM  ICE-MASSES. 


Chap.  Vl 


Thronghont  the  daj  I  trembled  for  the  safety  of  the  rud- 
der, and  screw ;  deprived  of  the  one  or  the  other,  even  for 
half  an  honr,  I  think  our  fate  would  have  been  sealed  ;  to 
have  steered  in  any  other  direction  than  against  the  swell 
would  have  exposed,  and  probably  sacrificed  both. 

Our  bow  is  very  strongly  fortified,  well  plated  externally 
with  iron,  and  so  very  sharp  that  the  ice-masses,  repeatedly 
hurled  against  the  ship  by  the  swell  as  she  rose  to  meet  it, 
were  thus  robbed  of  their  destructive  force ;  they  struck  m 
obliquely,  yet  caused  the  vessel  to  shake  violently,  the  bells 
to  ring,  and  almost  knocked  us  off  our  legs.  On  many  oc- 
casions the  engines  were  stopped  dead  by  ice  choking  the 
screw ;  once  it  was  some  minutes  before  it  could  be  got  to 
revolve  again.     Anxious  moments  those  I 

After  yesterday's  experience  I  can  understand  how  men's 
hair  has  turned  gray  in  a  few  hours.  Had  self-reliance  been 
my  only  support  and  hope,  it  is  not  impossible  that  I  might 
have  illustrated  the  fact.  Under  the  circumstances  I  did 
my  best  to  insure  our  safety,  looked  as  stoical  as  possible, 
and  inwardly  trusted  that  God  would  favor  our  exertions. 
What  a  release  ours  has  been,  not  only  from  eight  months' 
imprisonment,  but  from  the  perils  of  that  one  day !  Had 
our  little  vessel  been  destroyed  after  the  ice  broke  up,  there 
remained  no  hope  for  us.  But  we  have  been  brought  safely 
through,  and  are  all  truly  grateful,  I  hope,  and  believe. 

I  grieve  to  think  of  poor  Lady  Franklin  and  our  friends 
at  home.  Severely  as  we  have  felt  the  failure  of  our  first 
season's  operations,  yet  the  ordeal  is  now  over  with  us  :  not 
80  with  her  and  them, — they  have  still  to  experience  that 
bitter  disappointment. 

Our  distance  within  the  pack-edge,  where  We  first  made 
sail  yesterday,  was  22  miles.  Before  we  got  clear  of  the 
ice  the  height  of  the  waves  was  13^  feet;  after  passing 
through  the  last  of  it  there  was  no  increase,  but  the  sea  waa 
more  confused ;  in  fact,  within  the  ice  all  minor  disturbances 


Apr.  186S 


STEERING  FOR  HOLSTEINBORG. 


105 


were  quelled  or  merged  into  one  regular  fast-following  swell. 
The  ship  and  her  machinery  behaved  most  admirably  in  the 
straggle ;  should  I  ever  have  to  pass  through  such  an  ice- 
covered,  heaving  ocean  again,  let  me  secure  a  passage  in  the 

'Fox.' 

During  our  242  days  in  the  packed-ice  of  Baffin's  Bay 
and  Davis'  Straits  we  were  drifted  1194  geographical  or 
1385  statute  miles ;  it  is  the  longest  drift  I  know  of,  and  our 
winter,  as  a  whole,  may  be  considered  as  having  been  mild, 
but  very  windy. 

We  are  steering  now  for  Holsteinborg,  where  I  intend  to 
refit  and  refresh  the  crew ;  it  is  reputed  to  be  the  best  place 
for  reindeer  upon  the  coast. 


; :  'i.l 


■,v.-:K  .,' 
•  I  •'ft-; 


106 


ANCHORED  AT  HOLSTEINBORG. 


Chi».  Til 


CHAPTER   VII. 

A  holiday  in  Qreenlaud — A  lady  blue  with  the  cold — The  loves  of  OreeB< 
landers — Close  shaving — Meet  the  whalers — Information  of  wbaler»« 
Disco— Danish  hospitality — Sail  from  Disco — Kindness  of  the  whalen 
—Danish  establishments  in  Greenland. 


Wednesday  night,  April  2Sih. — Safely  anchored  at  | 
Holsteinborg,  and  moored  to  the  rocks  ;  a  charming  change, 
after  our  position  only  a  few  days  back.  We  have  been 
visited  by  the  Danish  residents — the  chief  trader  or  gover- 
nor, the  priest,  and  two  others :  their  latest  European  in- 
telligence is  not  more  recent  than  our  own,  but  the  Danish 
ship  is  hourly  expected;  she  usually  leaves  Copenhagen 
about  the  middle  of  March. 

The  winter  here  has  been  just  the  reverse  of  our  own  ex- 
perience ;  it  has  been  severe  in  point  of  temperature,  bat 
with  very  little  wind ;  the  land  lies  buried  in  snow,  and  as 
yet  there  is  no  thaw  ;  it  is  too  early  for  the  codfishery,  and 
not  a  single  reindeer  has  been  killed  throughout  the  winter! 
Eider-ducks,  looms  and  dovekies  are  abundant,  as  well  as 
hares  and  ptarmigan. 

29th. — A  bright  and  lovely  day.  Our  poor,  half-famished 
dogs  have  been  landed  near  the  carcases  of  four  whales,  so 
they  must  be  supremely  happy.  I  visited  the  Governor  to- 
day, and  found  his  little  wooden  house  as  scrupulously 
clean  and  neat  as  the  houses  of  the  Danish  residents  in 
Greenland  invariably  are.  The  only  ornaments  about  tie 
room  were  portraits  of  his  unfortunate  wife  and  two  chil- 
dren :  they  embarked  at  Copenhagen  last  year  to  rejoin  him, 


Mav,  1&58. 


UOLIDAT  IN  GREENLAND. 


lot 


and  the  ill-fated  vessel  has  never  since  been  heard  of.  Poor 
Governor  Elbcrg  is  in  ill  health,  and  talks  of  retnrning 
home— by  home  he  means  Denmark,  the  land  of  bis  birth, 
and  where  once  he  had  a  home. 

30//(. — This  is  a  grand  Danish  holiday :  the  inhabitants 
are  all  dressed  in  their  Sunday  clothes — at  least,  all  who 
have  got  a  change  of  garments — and  there  is  both  morning 
and  evening  service  in  the  small  wooden  church.  As  the 
Governor  could  not  be  persuaded  to  unlock  the  door  of  the 
dance-house,  our  men  returned  on  board  early ;  yesterday 
evening  they  were  all  on  shore,  and,  with  the  Esquimaux, 
were  squeezed  into  this  one  large  room  :  to  be  squeezed  in  a 
crowd  of  human  beicgs  is  positive  enjoyment  after  a  win- 
ter's isolation  such  as  ours  has  been.  Old  Harvey  consti- 
tuted himself  master  of  the  ceremonies,  and  with  his  flute 
led  the  orchestra ;  it  consisted  of  one  other  flute  and  a  fiddle ; 
he  managed  to  perch  himself  above  all  the  rest,  at  one  end 
of  the  room,  and  played  with  such  vigor  that  our  bluejack- 
ets and  the  Esquimaux  ladies  danced  away  most  furiously 
for  hours.  These  ladies  can  dance  in  the  least  possible 
space,  their  costume  being  particularly  well  adapted  for  the 
purpose,  partaking  as  it  does  much  more  of  the  "Bloomer" 
than  the  "crinoline." 

Christian  looks  immensely  happy :  his  countrymen  regard 
him  as  a  man  whose  fortune  is  made,  and  tho  women  gaze 
with  admiration  upon  his  neat  sailor's  dress,  and  his  good- 
natared,  full,  round  face,  and  huge  fat  shining  cheeks ;  Mr. 
Petersen  is  in  great  request  to  interpret  between  the  En- 
glish, Danes,  and  Esquimaux. 

*lth  May. — I  intended  sailing  for  Disco  this  morning,  but 
wind  and  weather  were  adverse.  We  have  obtained  but 
little  here  except  water,  a  tolerable  supply  of  rock  cod, 
some  ptarmigan,  hares,  wildfowl,  and  a  few  items  of  stores. 
The  Governor  now  thinks  the  Danish  ship  muii,  have  been 
instructed  to  visit  Godhaab  before  coming  here.    We  have 


Jp.'fvjf 


ir.|i 


108 


A  CHRISTENINO. 


Chap.  Vli. 


m 


left  loiters  to  go  home  in  her,  and  they  ought  to  be  in  En* 
gland  by  the  end  of  June. 

I  visited  to-day  a  small  lake  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Cun> 
ningham  ;  it  is  said  to  occupy  the  centre  of  an  extinct  vol- 
cano :  but  I  saw  nothing  to  bear  out  the  assertion.  This 
is  the  only  part  of  Greenland  where  earthquakes  are  felt. 
The  Governor  told  me  of  an  unusually  severe  shock  which 
occurred  a  winter  or  two  ago.  He  was  sitting  in  his  room 
reading  at  the  time,  when  he  heard  a  loud  noise  like  the 
discharge  of  a  cannon;  immediately  afterwards  a  tremulous 
motion  was  felt,  some  glasses  upon  the  table  began  to  dance 
about,  and  papers  lying  on  the  window-sill  fell  down :  after 
a  few  seconds  it  ceased.  He  thinks  the  motion  originated 
at  the  lake,  as  it  was  not  felt  by  some  people  beyond  it,  and 
that  it  passed  from  N.  E.  to  S.  W. 

This  mountain  scenery  is  really  charming;  but  a  little 
more  animal  life — reindeer,  for  instance — would  make  it  far 
more  pleasing  in  our  eyes.  The  last  twelvemonth's  produce 
of  this  district  amounts  only  to  500  reindeer  skins  instead 
of  3000,  as  in  ordinary  years.  The  clergyman  of  Holstein- 
borg  was  born  in  this  colony,  and  has  succeeded  his  father 
in  the  priestly  office ;  his  wife  is  the  only  European  female 
in  the  colony.  Being  told  that  fuel  was  extremely  scarce 
in  the  Danish  houses,  and  that  "  the  priest's  wife  was  blue 
with  the  cold,"  I  sent  on  shore  a  present  of  some  coals. 

On  Sunday  afternoon,  hearing  the  church  bell  ringing  I 
went  on  shore.  It  proved  to  be  only  a  christening.  The 
little  dusky  infant  received  a  long  string  of  European 
names.  There  was  a  small  description  of  barrel  organ,  to 
the  sound  of  which  the  congregation  joined  in,  keeping  a  loud 
monotonous  chant.  Most  of  the  young  people  had  hymn- 
books  in  their  hands,  printed  in  the  Esquimaux  language. 

Kavens  seem  very  abundant,  also  large  grey  falcons :  per* 
haps  the  dead  whales  may  have  attracted  an  unusual  num- 
ber. 


Mat,  1867. 


LEAVE  IIOLSTKINUORO. 


109 


Poor  Christian  hns  not  oily  fallen  desperately  in  lu?o, 
but  lias  engaged  himself  to  the  object  of  his  aflfections,  a 
pretty  Esquimaux  girl.  lie  asked  me  to-day  to  give  her 
t  passage  up  to  Godhavn,  as  he  wished  to  leave  her  in 
charge  of  his  mother  until  lis  return  there  with  us  next 
year,  when  his  engagement  for  the  voyage  would  be  fulGlled. 
IJttving  heard  a  rumor  of  a  young  woman  awaiting  his  re- 
turn to  Godhavn,  I  taxed  him  with  it,  but  he  replied  with 
great  simplicity  that  "he  had  never  promised  her,  and 
would  not  marry  her,  as  his  friends  objected  to  the  match  !" 
What  ure  the  good  Grecnlanders  coming  to  ?  I  recommended 
that  he  should  leave  his  betrothed  in  her  own  home,  with 
her  mother  and  family.  His  asking  a  passage  for  her,  in 
order  to  leave  her  with  his  mother,  is  strong  proof  of  the 
sincerity  of  his  engagement,  not  only  to  bis  lady  love,  but 
to  the  '  Fox'  also. 

I  have  written  to  the  Admiralty  to  account  for  my  pro- 
longed absence  from  England  ;  and  to  Dr.  Rink  to  acquaint 
him  with  the  cause  of  my  second  visit  to  his  inspectorate. 

Oovernor  Elberg  has  promised  to  get  me  some  fossil  fish, 
to  be  found  only  in  North  Strom  Fiord  :  they  are  interest- 
ing, as  being  of  unknown  geological  date. 

lOfh. — On  the  morning  of  the  8th  we  left  Holsteinborg 
with  a  pleasant  land  wind  and  bright  weather.  When  15 
miles  off  shore  we  were  stopped  by  ice  formed  during  the  last 
two  nights,  the  thermometer  having  fallen  to  12°  j  out  in 
the  offing  the  weather  was  gloomy  and  cold,  and  strong 
northerly  winds  were  blowing.  On  closing  the  land  again, 
we  regained  the  offshore  wind  and  bright  weather. 

Keeping  close  along  shore,  and  threading  our  way  through 
a  vast  deal  of  "  pack"  and  numerous  icebergs,  we  gained 
sight  of  Disco  about  noon  to-day,  and  by  the  evening  were 
within  an  hour's  sail  of  Godhavn,  when  we  were  again 
stopped  by  a  broad  belt  of  ice  stretching  along  the  coast; 
this  was  a  bitter  disappointment,  more  particularly  as  a  gal9 


[  mm 


110 


SUMMER. 


Chap.  VII 


of  wind  with  heavy  sea  was  fast  rising,  and  snow  beginning 
to  fall  thiclily;  there  was  nothing  for  it,  however,  but  to 
stand  off  under  easy  sail  for  the  night. 

\2th. — At  anchor  at  the  Whalelish  Islands.  On  the  even* 
ing  of  the  10th  we  stood  off  from  the  inhospitable  barrier 
of  ice,  prepared  to  meet  the  storm ;  snow  fell  so  thickly  that 
we  could  hardily  see  the  icebergs  in  time  to  avoid  them. 
We  supposed  ourselves  to  be  well  to  leeward  of  the  Whale- 
fish  Islands,  but  were  deceived  by  the  tides;  suddenly 
a  small,  low  islet  was  seen  on  the  lee  bow ;  not  being  able 
to  pass  to  windward,  we  were  obliged  to  wear  ship,  and,  io 
doing  so,  passed  within  the  ship's  length  of  destruction— for 
we  were  certainly  within  that  distance  of  the  rocks  I  The 
islet  was  covered  with  snow,  and  but  for  some  very  few 
dark  points  showing  through,  it  could  not  be  distinguished 
from  ice.  On  the  11th  the  weather  improved,  and  in  the 
evening  we  came  to  our  present  anchorage.  From  a  hill  we 
can  watch  an  opportunity  to  enter  Godhavn.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  blowing  weather,  some  natives  came  about  five 
miles  off  to  us ;  the  water  washed  over  their  little  kayab, 
and  kept  the  occupants'  sealskin  dresses  streaming  with  wet 
up  to  their  shoulders  ;  this  part  of  their  dress  seems  rather 
part  of  the  kayak,  as  it  is  attached  to  it  round  the  hole  ia 
which  the  kayaker  sits,  so  that  no  water  can  enter.  It  is 
wonderful  to  see  how  closely  a  man  can  assimilate  his  habits 
to  those  of  a  fish. 

The  Danish  cooper  in  charge  of  this  out-station  tells  us 
there  are  thirteen  English  whalers  already  out,  and  some  of 
them  have  been  up  to  the  north  end  of  Disco ;  two  vessels 
are  in  sight.  The  world,  it  appears,  is  at  peace.  Petersen 
was  at  one  time  in  charge  of  this  station  ;  he  is  now  seeking 
out  his  old  acquaintances. 

14/^. — Summer  has  suddenly  burst  upon  us — ^thermome- 
ter up  to  40°;  moreover,  we  are  enjoying  English  newspa* 
pers,  and  have  dined  off  roast  beef  and  vegetables  I 


Mat,  1858. 


UNUSUAL    POSITION   OP    ICE. 


Ill 


Two  days  ago  I  sent  a  note  off  to  a  whaler  by  a  kayak, 
requesting  her  captain  to  lend  me  some  newspapers;  the 
note  reached  Captain  J.  Walker,  of  the  '  Jane,'  and  yester- 
day his  ship,  accompanied  by  the  '  Heroine,'  Captain  J. 
Simpson,  approached  us,  and  they  both  came  in  to  call 
upon  me,  each  of  them  bringing  the  very  acceptable  present 
of  some  newspapers,  besides  a  quarter  of  beef,  with  vege- 
tables. Nothing  could  exceed  their  sincere  good  feeling 
and  kindness;  they  offered  to  supply  me  with  any  thing 
their  ships  could  afford.  The  account  they  gave  of  last 
season  is  as  follows :  the  whalers  reached  Devil's  Point, 
near  Melville  Bay,  as  early  as  the  21st  of  May:  southerly 
winds  set  in,  and  blew  incessantly  for  six  weeks,  during  all 
which  time  they  were  closely  beset,  and  the  ships  '  Qipsey' 
and  '  Undaunted'  were  crushed.  When  able  to  move,  the 
fleet  returned  southward  along  the  "  pack-edge,"  which  was 
everywhere  found  to  be  impenetrable;  they  sailed  south- 
ward of  Disco,  and  about  the  middle  of  July  the  earliest 
ships  rounded  the  southern  extremity  of  middle  ice  in  lat. 
62^°,  and  found  no  difficulty  in  their  further  passage  to 
Pond's  Bay.  Captain  Walker  says  ships  could  not  have 
reached  Lancaster  Sound,  as  there  was  much  ice  north  of 
Pond's  Bay  which  he  thought  extended  quite  across  to  Mel- 
ville Bay. 

The  position  of  the  ice  last  season  was  considered  to  be 
most  unusual;  the  long  prevalence  of  southerly  winds  ap- 
peared to  have  separated  the  tail  of  the  pack  from  the  main 
body,  the  former  lying  against  the  west  land  about  Cape 
Searle,  whilst  the  latter  was  forced  northward  and  pressed 
closely  into  Melville  Bay ;  the  ships  sailed  freely  between 
these  two  great  divisions,  and  fouud  the  west  water  unusu- 
Bually  extensive. 

Had  I  been  able  to  collect  a  sufficient  number  of  sledge- 
dogs  at  GodhavQ  last  year,  it  was  my  intention  to  have 
uUed  across  to  the  west  side  if  pospible,  instead  of  pur< 


.„,'■-*  ff^ip  5  ■  ■, 

•  '  imm'M 


..') 


■ '  ■.•;•■>■ 


mm 


112 


UXCERTAINTY   OF  ICE-NAVIGATION.     Cha/*  VII. 


fining  the  usual  route  through  Melville  Bay;  but  the 
opinions  of  the  captains  of  the  lost  whalers  were  in  favor 
of  a  "  Melville  Bay"  passage,  and  the  necessity  for  obtain- 
ing dogs  left  me  no  choice  as  to  whether  I  should  proceed 
west,  or  north  to  Proven  and  Upernivik;  I  have  already 
recorded  what  were  my  opinions  at  the  time,  so  need  only 
observe  now  that,  although  I  failed,  I  believe  my  decisioD 
was  justified  by  all  former  experience,  even  independently 
of  the  circumstances  which  obliged  me  to  adopt  it.  Never- 
theless it  is  mortifying  to  find  that  ships  had  reached  as  far 
as  Pond's  Bay,  and  with  but  little  difficulty.  Sir  Edward 
Parry,  upon  his  third  voyage,  did  not  reach  the  west  water 
until  very  late  in  the  season,  although  some  of  the  whalers 
met  with  better  success  by  following  up  another  route. 

There  is  nothing  more  uncertain  than  ice-navigation,  de- 
pendent as  it  is  upon  winds,  temperatures,  and  currents; 
one  can  calculate  upon  "the  chances,"  and  how  nearly  we 
succeeded  we  have  already  seen.  In  the  preceding  year 
(1856)  some  of  the  whalers  got  through  Melville  Bay  as 
early  as  the  15th  June,  only  a  few  days  after  the  commence- 
ment of  the  summer's  thaw.  Captain  Walker  tells  me 
there  are  many  years  in  which  the  whalers  can  pass  up  the 
western  shore  late  in  the  season,  but  not  always  so  far  as 
Pond's  Bay;  of  Melville  Bay  after  the  10th  or  15th  July 
they  know  nothing,  but  the  voyages  of  discovery  aflford  os 
ample  details ;  whilst  of  the  southern  route  almost  nothing 
has  been  made  publicly  known. 

There  are  many  intelligent  whaling  captains  who  possess 
much  valuable  knowledge  of  these  lands  and  seas,  and  even 
in  the  terra  incognita  of  Frobisher's  Straits,  whalers  have 
wintered,  whilst  our  charts  scarcely  afford  even  a  vague 
idea  of  the  configuration  of  these  extensive  islands.  The 
so-called  "  Home  Bay"  has  been  penetrated  for  fifty  miles, 
and  is  supposed  to  be  a  strait  leading  to  Fox's  Furthest 
Scott's  Inlet  is  also  said  to  be  a  strait  leading  into  a  wes* 


IMat,  1858 


DANISH    HOSPITALITY. 


lU 


tern  arm  of  the  same  sea.     A  surveying  vessel  would  bo 
[usefully  employed  for  a  couple  of  summers  in  tracing  the 
Teneral  outline  of  these  possessions  of  Her  Majesty,  more 
f>articularly  as  they  are  rather  thickly  inhabited  by  Esqui- 
maux most  eager  to  barter  their  produce  for  rifles,  saws, 
[files,  knives,  needles,  and  such  like  articles.     Good  coal  has 
[been  found  upon  Durbin  Island  (near  Cape  Searle),  in  a 
[convenient  little  cove  upon  its  southern  side ;  and  as  the  old 
Bailing  whalers  are  fast  being  replaced  by  steamers,  this 
[place  may  become  of  great  importance  to  them. 

We  are  refitting,  shooting,  and  devouring  quantities  of 
[excellent  mussels ;  eider  ducks  are  very  abundant,  but  ex- 
jtreraely  shy.  Poor  Puss  has  been  killed  ;  tempted  on  deck 
[by  the  unusually  warm  weather,  she  was  pounced  upon  by 
[tlie  dogs. 

l*lth. — Yesterday  our  attempt  to  enter  the  port  of  God- 
iaven  failed,  it  is  still  filled  with  ice.  This  evening  Young 
[and  I  examined  a  narrow  rocky  cove — Upernivik  Bay  of 
Ithe  natives ;  finding  it  suitable  for  our  purpose,  the  ship 
[was  brought  in  and  moored  to  the  rocks.  We  were  received 
[with  much  kindness  by  our  friends  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Olrik,  and 
were  presented  with  a  file  of  late  English  papers.  A  con 
[siderable  supply  of  beer  was  ordered  to  be  brewed  for  us. 

I  found  Mrs.  Olrik  without  a  fire  in  her  sitting  room ;  it 
[was  unnecessary  ;  the  windows  looked  to  the  south,  and  the 
8un  shone  brightly  in  upon  a  profusion  of  geraniums  and 
European  flowers,  at  once  reminding  one  of  home,  and  re- 
freshing the  senses  by  their  perfume  and  beauty ;  the  merry 
Toices  of  the  children  were  also  a -most  pleasing  novelty. 
Mr.  O'rik  says  the  past  winter  has  not  been  in  any  way  re- 
imarkable,  except  for  the  prevalence  of  strong  winds;  April 
land  the  early  part  of  May  have  been  unusually  cold. 

Uth. — We  did  honor  to  Her  Majesty's  birth-day  by 
I  dressing  the  'Fox'  in  all  her  flags,  and  regaling  her  crew 
with  plum-pudding  and  grog.     The  ice  having  moved  ofl^ 
8 


r 


B'^ 


(»"S 


i 


i:^l 


■Iv'fei 


'-f^. 


114 


COALING. 


CnAP.VrtI 


we  have  come  into  the  harbor  of  Godhavn,  as  being  moR 
convenient  and  safe.  The  day  has  been  a  busy  one :  »t 
have  completed  our  small  purchases  and  closed  our  letters; 
I  have  added  another  Esquimaux  lad  to  our  crew,  takioj 
with  him  his  ride,  kayak,  and  sledge.  This  evening  then 
has  been  a  brisk  interchange  of  presents  between  us  and  om 
Danish  friends.  I  have  been  given  an  eider-down  coverlc 
by  the  Governor,  Mr.  Andersen  ;  and,  by  Mrs.  Olrik,  soon 
delicious  preserve  of  Greenland  cranberries,  a  tin  of  pre. 
served  ptarmigan,  and  a  jar  of  pickled  whale-skin;  dij 
table  is  decked  with  European  flowers,  including  roses,  mig- 
nonnette,  and  violets. 

With  good  reason  shall  we  remember  Godhavn;  vt 
have  certainly  been  treated  as  especial  favorites. 

2Qth. — Left  Godhavn  early  yesterday  morning,  and  ai- 
chored  this  afternoon  in  our  old  position  ofif  the  Coal  CI 
in  the  Waigat;  a  party  of  seal  hunters  from  Atanekerdliili 
came  off  to  us,  and  their  hunting  having  terminated  success- 
fully, they  will  assist  us  in  coaling.  From  these  men  I  ob- 
tained much  information  about  this  part  of  the  coast ;  witti 
a  range  of  twenty  miles  upon  the  Disco  shore  there  are  fom 
distinct  coaling  places ;  but  at  this  early  season  two  of  theoi 
are  deeply  covered  with  snow.  There*  is  also  very  gooi 
coal  at  the  S.  E.  end  of  Hare  Island,  where  it  can  be  easilj 
obtained.  The  ice  in  this  strait  broke  up  as  long  ago  as 
the  3d  April ;  it  has  all  drifted  out  to  the  northward,  oulj 
a  few  icebergs  now  remain. 

28/^. — Again  hastening  northward  ;  the  business  of  coal- 
ing was  very  speedily  and  satisfactorily  completed,  but  tk 
quality  of  the  coals  is  very  inferior.  Upon  the  greeL 
slopes  our  sportsmen  found  nothing  but  a  few  ptarmigaii 
and  a  hare. 

Shortly  after  running  close  past  the  deserted  settlement 
of  Nonrsak,  we  arrived  ofif  a  small  bay,  and  were  startled 
by  finding  the  water  had  suddenly  changed  from  transpareol 


Iay,  1858. 


KINDNESb  OP  THE   WHALERS. 


115 


lae  to  a  thick  muddy  color,  but  there  was  no  change  in  its 
lepth;  we  were  crossing  the  stream  of  "Makkaks  Elvin," 

Clay  River,  which  empties  its61f  into  the  bay  after  run- 
ling  tlirough  a  broad  and  extensive  valley,  said  to  abound 

itii  reindeer ;  this  river  has  its  origin  in  lakes  and  glaciers 

the  interior,  and  the  discoloration  of  the  water  is  proba- 
lly  the  chief  cause  of  success  in  white-whale  fishing,  which 

cariied  on  here  in  the  autumn,  as  those  timid  animals 
^ill  not  permit  boats  to  approach  them  in  clear  water. 

This  evening  we  are  crossing  Omenak's  Fiord,  and  the 
ind-wind,  which  here  and  all  along  the  coast  northwards 
[lows  from  the  N.  E.,  has  come  off  to  us. 

31s/.— Lying  fast  to  an  iceberg  off  Upernivik. 

The  whalers  are  all  within  a  dozen  miles  of  us,  unable  to 
lenetrate  further  north.  The  season  appears  forward,  and 
pie  ice  much  decayed ;  but  southerly  winds  prevail,  retard- 
Dg  its  disruption  and  removal.  Captain  Parker,  of  the 
jEmma,'  tells  me  he  does  not  expect  to  make  a  north  pas- 
age  this  year,  and  as  his  experience  extends  over  a  period 
|f  at  least  thirty  years,  I  give  his  reason ;  it  is  simply  this, 
>4hat  as  during  the  months  of  February,  March,  and  April 
brtherly  winds  prevailed  to  an  unusual  degree,  therefore 
ioutberly  winds  may  now  be  expected  to  continue ;  if  he 
jrove  a  prophet,  it  will  be  to  our  serious  hinderance  at  this 
jritical  season.  Governor  Pliescher  says  the  winter  has 
^een  mild ;  there  has  been  but  little  wind,  and  that  chiefly 
bm  the  southward. 

ith  June. — ^We  have  received  much  kindness  from  our 
riends  Captains  Parker  and  J.  Simpson,  as  well  as  from 
^thers  of  the  w^haling  fleet ;  the  former  has  generously  sup- 
|»lied  us  with  many  things  we  were  rather  short  of,  not  only 
In  ship's  stores,  but  provisions  and  coals,  and  in  return  1 
[laTe  of  course  furnished  him  with  a  receipt  for  his  owners. 
Japtain  Simpson  has  most  handsomely  presented  the  *  Fox* 
nth  a  sail  and  yards,  which,  after  some  slight  alterations, 


i  \ 


i] 


rr 


\/4*f?'ii 


116 


DANISH  SETTLEMENTS. 


tHiP.l 


will  enable  us  to  add  a  main  topsail  to  our  spread  of  i 
vas.     For  the  two  days  we  lay  at  the  iceberg,  alongside i 
the  '  Emma,'  I  made  furious  attacks  upon  Captain  Park!i| 
beefsteaks  and  porter;  we  amply  availed  ourselves  of] 
hearty  welcome.     By  the  arrival  of  the  fine  Bteam  ^ 
*  Tay,'  from  Scotland,  we  have  received  papers  up  to  \\^ 
April. 

This  morning  we  slowly  steamed  away  from  IJpcrnitj 
threading  our  way  betwixt  islands,  and  ice,  for  about! 
miles^  and  now  await  further  ice  movement  before  it  m\\\ 
possible  to  proceed. 

These  are  called  the  Woman  Islands,  so  named  by 
celebrated  Arctic  explorer  John  Davis,  who  visited  them^ 
Queen  Elizabeth's  reign ;  he  found  here  only  a  few 
women,  their  frightened  lords  and  more  active  juniors  li»| 
ing  effected  their  escape. 

Upon  one  of  these  islands  a  stone  was  picked  up  someS 
years  ago,  bearing  a  Runic  inscription;  it  was  sent  homei 
Copenhagen  as  a  most  interesting  relic  of  the  ear!y  Scaoi 
navian  yoyagers ;  but  nothing  was  on  it  except  the  nan 
of  those  men  "  who  cleared  this  place"  (or  formed  a  settl 
ment),  and  the  date,  1135.  In  all  probability  their  sojoi 
was  extremely  short,  perhaps  only  for  a  single  summn 
The  Esquimaux  did  not  make  their  appearance  for  uei 
two  centuries  later. 

After  Egede's  settlement  at  Godhaab  in  1*721,  theDii 
ish  trading  establishments  gradually  extended  along  tij 
coast,  and  Upernivik  was  one  of  them  ;  but  it  appears  I 
have  been  soon  abandoned.  During  Napoleon's  wars  i 
the  Danish  posts  were  withdrawn,  as  the  British  fleet  eff« 
ually  cut  off  communication  with  Europe  ;  but  after  pen 
was  restored  in  1815,  the  trading  posts  were  again  reson 
to,  and  a  new  settlement  formed  near  the  ruins  of  the 
one  at  Upernivik;  it  enjoys  pre-eminence  as  the  moi 
northern  abode  of  civilized  man. 


1, 1853 


TUB  *rOX'  NBAELY  WRECKED. 


ut 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

rox'  nearly  wrecked — Afloat,  and  push  aboad — Arctic  hairbreadth  ei* 
enpes— Nearly  caught  in  the  pack — Shooting  little  auks — The  Arcti« 
lighlanders — Cape  York — Crimson  snow — Struggling  to  the  westward 
-Reach  the  West-land— Off  the  entrance  of  Lancaster  Sound. 

\june  Sth. — ^Yesterday  morning  we  passed  close  outside 
Bchan  Island ;  it  is  small  but  lofty,  its  north  side  is  al- 
Dst  precipitous,  yet  notwithstanding  this  strong  indication 
deep  water,  a  reef  of  rocks  lies  about  a  mile  off  it.     I 
Ippened  to  be  aloft  with  the  look-out-man  at  half-past 
^ht  o'clock  as  we  were  steaming  through  a  narrow  lead  in 
ice,  when  I  saw  a  rock  close  ahead  ;  it  was  capped  with 
[,  therefore  was  hardly  distinguishable  from  the  floating 
|sses  around ,  the  engines  were  stopped  and  reversed,  but 
}re  was  neither  time  nor  room  to  avoid  the  reef,  which 
extended  on  each  side  of  us,  and  upon  which  the  ship's 
stuck  fast  whilst  her  stern  remained  in  36  feet  water ; 
tide  had  just  commenced  to  fall,  and  all  our  efforts  to 
III  off  from  the  rocks  were  ineffectual.     The  floes  lay 
[bin  30  yards  of  us  upon  each  side.     I  feared  their  drift- 
down  upon  the  ship  and  turning  her  over ;  but  fortu- 
|ely  it  was  perfectly  calm,  and  as  the  tide  fell,  points  of 
reef  held  them  fast.     The  ship  continued  to  fall  over  to 
i)oard ;  at  dead  low  %ater  her  inclination  was  35°,  the 
fer  covered  the  starboard  gunwale  from  the  mainmast  aft, 
reached  almost  up  to  the  after  hatchway ;  at  this  time 
I  slightest  shake  must  have  caused  her  to  fall  over  upon 
side,  when  she  would  have  instantly  filled  and  sunk. 


^h  -i 


'■<}-«;■■  -Mi  i 


XV;    i:; 


■  -'i  < 


'^■:V;-?ii 


-.^t 


116 


AFLOAT,  AND    I'Uyil    AHEAD. 


Chap.  Vl'.i 


Vu 


The  dogs,  after  repeated  inefifectual  attempts  to  Me  upoi 
the  deck,  quietly  coiled  themselves  up  upon  such  parts  oi 
the  lee  gunwale  as  remained  above  water  and  went  to  sleep 

To  me  the  moments  seem  lengthened  out  beyond  anythio; 
I  could  have  imagined ;  but  at  length  the  water  began  to 
rise,  and  the  ship  to  resume  her  upright  position.  Boats, 
anchors,  hawsers,  etc.,  were  got  on  board  again  with  tlit 
utmost  alacrity,  and  the  ship  floated  off  unhurt  after 
been  eleven  hours  upon  the  reef.  We  bad  grounded 
the  day  tide  and  were  floated  off  by  the  night  tide,  which  upoo 
this  coast  occasions  a  much  greater  rise  and  fall, — so  far  vt 
were  favored,  but  the  poor  little  '  Fox'  had  a  very  narrow 
escape ;  as  for  ourselves,  there  was  not  the  slightest  cm 
for  apprehension,  three  steam  whalers  being  within  signil 
distance.  .     .  .         . 

To-day  we  are  steaming  along  after  the  three  vessek 
which  passed  us  last  evening  and  disappeared  round  Cape 
Shackleton  during  the  night.  The  contrast  between  oui 
prospects  yesterday  and  to-day  fills  one  with  delight,-!' 
be  afloat  and  advancing  unobstructedly  once  more  is  indeet 
charming. 

11^^. — On  the  afternoon  of  the  8th  we  joined  the  steameB| 
*  Tay,'  Captain  Deuchars ;  *  Chase,'  Captain  Gravill,  m.\ 
and  '  Diana,'  Gravill,  jun.  After  repeated  ice-detentioml 
we  have  reached  Duck  Island.  Captain  Deuchars  sad 
there  is  every  prospect  of  an  early  north  passage  ;  we  ban 
had  several  conversations  about  the  Pond's  Bay  oatiTe^j 
and  their  reports  of  ships,  wrecks,  and  Europeans.  Thi 
appears  to  be  not  only  great  difificulty,  but  also  uncertaiD^< 
in  arriving  at  their  meaning ;  to  form  an  idea  of  the  tii 
elapsed  since  an  event,  or  the  distance  to  the  spot  where 
occurred,  is  a  still  harder  task.  I  look  forward  to 
visit  at  Pond's  Bay  with  greatly  increased  interest. 

In  August,  1855,  when  Captain  Deuchars  was  crossii 
through  the  middle  ice,  in  latitude  70^,  he  found  part  of 


in 


■'     !■! 


J  111',' 


i'-  W 


yf 


n 


'■iaka^Si 


if'^:: 


.•-%«i 


in,  lii9. 


earner's  topn 

]Ided  form 
^ve  sunk ;  th 

and  taken 
ssel  was  eiti 
Dnths  later, 
Its  picked  up. 
eudiars  lost 
^y.    It  was  { 

North  Wa 
lyage;   the  s 
|ien  Captain 
lead  of  the  si 
|tween  them, 
nost  througl 
Ireast  of  the 
eck  op  for  i 
bnr  to  escape 
ddenly  lost  hif 

royal  yards 
^sely  danger 
Biy;  everythii 
buires  positive 
pyfew  inches 
Her,  perfectly 
ssibly  endang 
|te'  was  a  v/jr 

most  exper 
s  finest  whaler 
U</i.— We  hi 
The  8tet 
Mron.  Cap 
[has  very  kinc 
pers  and  pot 
od  enough  to 


Lm,  1858.       ARCTIC  HAIRBREADTU  ESCAPES. 


119 


earner's  topmast  imbedded  in  heavy  ice ;  he  also  saw  the 

loalded  form  of  a  ship's  side,  and  thinks  the  latter  must 

ive  sunk ;  the  portion  of  the  topmast  visible  was  sawed 

and  taken  to  England.     It  is  most  probable  that  the 

^gsel  was  either  H.  M.  S.  '  Intrepid'  or  '  Pioneer,'  as  two 

)ntb3  later,  and  250  miles  farther  south,  the  *  Resolute' 

IS  picked  up.     About  two  or  three  years  ago,  Captain 

euchars  lost  his  ship  'Princess   Charlotte,'  in  Melville 

ty.    It  was  a  beautiful  morning  ;  they  had  almost  reached 

|e  North  Water,  and  were  anticipating  a  very  successful 

jjage;  the  steward  had  just  reported  breakfast  ready, 

lien  Captain  Deuchars,  seeing  the  floes  closing  together 

|ead  of  the  ship,  remained  on  deck  to  see  her  pass  safely 

[tween  them,  but  they  closed  too  quickly ;  the  vessel  was 

mt  through,  when  the  points  of  ice  caught  her  sides 

[reast  of  the  mizenmast,  and,  passing  through,  held  the 

eci(  up  for  a  few  minutes,  barely  long  enough  for  the 

ew  to  escape  and  save  their  boats  I  Poor  Deuchars  thus 

idenly  lost  his  breakfast  and  his  ship ;  within  ten  minutes 

royal  yards  disappeared  beneath  the  surface.      How 

^sely  danger  besets  the  Arctic  cruiser,  yet  how  insidi- 

sly ;  everything  looks  so  bright,  so  calm,  so  still,  that  it 

quires  positive  experience  to  convince  one  that  ice  only  a 

ry  few  inches,  perhaps  only  three  or  four  inches,  above 

\ier,  perfectly  level,  and  moving  extremely  slow,  could 

ssibly  endanger  a  strong  vessel  I     The  '  Princess  Char- 

|te'  was  a  v/iry  fine,  Strong  ship,  and  her  captain  one  of 

most  experienced  Arctic  seamen.     He  now  commands 

finest  whaler  in  the  fleet. 

Uth.—We  have  only  advanced  a  few  miles  to  the  north- 
fd.  The  steamer  '  Innuit'  has  joined  our  small  steam 
sadron.  Captain  Sutter  left  Scotland  only  a  month  ago ; 
jhas  very  kindly  and  promptly  sent  us  a  present  of  news- 
pers  and  potatoes.  Captain  Deuchars  has  also  been 
odenoQgh  to  supply  ns  with  some  potatoes  and  porter, 


•'■>    .IT 


120 


SUPPLY  OF  PROVISIONS. 


Chap.  V^H^f  „,  1858. 


I'' 


perhaps  tho  most  serviceable  present  he  could  have  mA 
us  after  our  long  subsistence  npon  salt  and  preserreil 
meats. 

ISth. — Once  more  alone  in  Melville  Bay.  The'lDnd 
and  '  Chase'  steamed  much  too  fast  for  us,  and  the  last  of 
the  four  vessels,  the  'Tay,'  parted  from  us  in  a  thick  fo(| 
yesterday.  We  have  come  close  along  the  edge  ofi 
fixed  ice,  passing  about  six  miles  outside  of  tho  Sabb 
Islands,  and  are  advancing  as  opportunities  offer.  Tiii 
morning  the  man  who  was  stationed  to  watch  a  nip  abot 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  ahead  of  the  ship,  came  running  bac^ 
pursued  by  three  bears — a  mother  with  her  half-groi 
cubs.  I  suppose  they  followed  him  chiefly  because  he  i 
from  them ;  and  at  all  events  they  were  very  close  up  befoi 
he  reached  the  ship.  Another  bear  was  seen  about  1 
same  time,  but  none  of  them  came  within  shot.  Eotcbid 
(or  little  auks)  are  very  abundant.  Seals  are  occasioDai|| 
shot.  I  ate  some  boiled  seal  to-day,  and  found  it  goo 
this  is  the  first  time  I  have  eaten  positive  blubber; 
scruples  respecting  it  henceforth  vanish. 

2bth. — The  land-ice  brolre  away  inshore  of  the  '  Fox' 
the  19th  or  20th,  and  we  found  ourselves  drifting  soutl 
ward  amongst  extensive  fields  of  ice.  Sad  experience 
already  shown  us  how  absolutely  powerless  our  small  cr 
is  under  such  circumstances.  But  after  many  attempts  i 
regained  the  edge  of  the  fast  ice  this  morning,  and  stead 
merrily  along  it  towards  Bushnan  Island.  When  withiij 
few  miles  a  nip  brought  us  to  a  standstill :  here  five  or  i 
icebergs  lie  encompassed  by  land-ice,  and  apparently  agroaDdj 
one  of  them  juts  out  and  has  caught  the  point  of  an  ia 
mense  field  of  ice.  There  is  some  slight  movement  ioi 
latter,  but  not  enough  to  let  us  pass  through. 

Twelve  or  eighteen  miles  to  the  south  there  is  a  clusu 
of  bergs,  in  all  probability  aground  upon  our  "  70  fatbd 
bank"  of  last  September.     The  ice-field  appears  to 


Chap.  MzH^cn,  1868. 


AROTIO  PERPLEXiriES. 


121 


igainst  them,  as  both  to  the  cast  and  west  there  is  much 
clear  water.  Exactly  at  this  spot  Captain  Penny  wos  simi- 
iaiiy  detained  by  a  nip  in  August,  1850.  Although  pro- 
rress  is  denied  to  us  at  present,  yet  it  is  an  unspeakable 
relief  to  have  got  out  of  the  drifting  ice. 

I  have  passed  very  many  anxious  days  in  Melville  Bay, 
but  hardly  any  of  them  weighed  so  heavily  upon  rae  at 
jL'stcrday.  There  was  the  broad,  clear  land-water  within  a 
Ithii'd  of  a  mile  of  me,  clear  weathdr,  and  a  fair  breeze 
Iblowiiig.  The  intervening  nip  worked  sufficiently  with 
[wind  and  tide  to  keep  one  in  suspense ;  it  nearly  opened  at 
high  water,  but  closed  again  with  the  ebb  tide.  I  thought 
lof  the  week  already  spent  in  struggling  amongst  drifting 
Ifloes,  and  was  haunted  by  visions  of  everything  horrible— 
gales,  ice-crushing,  etc.  Nor  was  it  consoling  to  reflect 
tliut  all  the  sailing  ships  as  well  as  the  steamers  might  have 
actually  slipped  past  us.  In  fact,  I  must  acknowledge  that 
anxiety  and  weariness  had  worked  me  np  into  a  state  of 
burning  impatience  and  of  bitter  chagrin  at  being  so  re- 
peatedly baffled  in  all  my  efforts  by  the  varying  yet  con- 
tinual perplexities  of  our  position.  The  only  difference  la 
favor  of  our  prospects  over  those  of  the  past  year  consisted 
iu  our  having  arrived  here  two  months  earlier ;  but  the  im- 
portance of  this  difference  is  incalculable. 

The  opportunities  afforded  by  the  delays  to  which  we 
have  been  subjected  were  turned,  however,  to  some  account. 
Nearly  one  thousand  rotches  were  shot ;  they  are  excellent 
eating ;  their  average  weight  is  four  ounces  and  a  half,  but 
when  prepared  for  the  table  they  probably  do  not  yield  more 
than  three  ounces  each.  A  young  bear  imprudently  swam 
up  to  the  ship,  and  was  shot, — his  skin  fell  to  the  sports- 
man, and  carcase  to  the  dogs.  Several  others  have  been 
Been :  we  watched  one  fellow  surprise  a  seal  upon  the  ice, 
and  carry  it  about  in  his  mouth  as  a  cat  does  a  mouse. 

27<^ .-.Lying  fast  to  the  ice  off  the  Crimson  Cliffs  of 


I 


m 


•r: 


f 


!r    '      l"f   -i 


.1  i        '  . «'« 


'i 


f . 


?.-•'       "   . 


'mi'/,  -H, • 

■     1   I, 


122 


THE  ARCTIC  HIGHLANDERS. 


Chap.  VIH 


Sir  John  Ross.  Yfesterday  we  succeeded  in  passing  through 
the  nip,  and  by  evening  reached  Cape  York.  Seeing  na. 
lives  running  oat  upon  the  land-ice,  the  ship  was  made  fast 
for  an  hour  in  order  to  communicate  with  them.  A  part; 
of  eight  men  came  on  board :  they  immediately  recognised 
Petersen,  for  they  lived  at  Etah  in  Smith's  Sound  when  he 
was  there  in  the  American  expedition.  They  asked  for 
Dr.  Kane,  and  told  us  Hans  was  married  and  lived  in  Whale 
Sound.  They  all  said  he  was  most  anxious  to  return  to 
Greenland,  but  had  neither  sledge-dogs  nor  kayak  ;  hunger 
had  compelled  him  to  eat  the  sealskin  which  covered  the 
framework  of  the  latter.  Petersen  gave  them  messages  for 
Hans  from  his  Greenland  friends,  and  advice  that  he  should 
fix  bis  residence  here,  where  he  might  see  the  whalers  and 
perhaps  be  taken  back  to  Greenland.  The  natives  did  not 
seem  to  be  badly  off  for  anything  except  dogs,  some  dis 
temper  having  carried  off  most  of  these  indispensable 
animals.  I  was  therefore  unable  to  procure  any  from  them. 
These  people  spent  the  winter  here ;  they  seemed  healthy, 
well-clad,  and  happy  little  fellows.  One  of  them  is  brother- 
in-law  to  Erasmus  York,  who  voluntarily  came  to  England 
in  the  'Assistance'  in  1851.  This  man  is  an  angekok,0T 
magician ;  he  has  a  still  flatter  face  than  the  rest  of  his 
countrymen,  but  appears  more  thoughtful  and  intelligent. 

Petersen  pointed  out  to  me  a  stout  old  fellow,  with  a 
tolerable  sprinkling  of  beard  and  moustache.  This  worthy 
perpetrated  the  only  murder  which  has  taken  place  for  seve- 
ral years  in  the  tribe  :  he  disliked  his  victim  and  stood  in 
need  of  his  dogs,  therefore  he  killed  the  owner  and  appro- 
priated his  property  I  Such  motives  and  passions  usually 
govern  the  "  unsophisticated  children  of  nature ;"  yet,  as 
savages,  the  Esquimaux  may  be  considered  exceedingly 
oarmless.  i 

Of  late  years  these  Arctic  Highlanders  have  become 
alarmed  by  the  rapid  diminution  of  their  numbers  throogb 


Jcir,  1858. 


DAMAGE  FBOM  ICE. 


123 


famine  and  disease,  aud  have  been  less  yiolent  towards  each 
other  iu  their  feuds  and  quarrels. 

The  appearance  of  these  men  as  they  danced  and  rolled 
about  in  frantic  delight  at  our  approach,  was  wild  and 
Btraiige,  and  their  costume  unir»>i  fix  ,  id  picturesque.  Their 
Icng,  coarse,  black  hair  hung  loosely  over  the  seal-skin 
frock  which  in  its  turn  overlapped  their  loose  shaggy  bear- 
skin breeches,  and  these  again  came  down  over  the  tops  of 
their  seal-skin  boots.  Most  of  them  carried  a  spear  formed 
out  of  the  horn  of  a  narwhal. 

Having  distributed  presents  of  knives  and  needles,  and 
explained  to  them  that  we  did  so  because  they  had  behaved 
well  to  the  white  people,  (as  we  learned  from  Dr.  Kane's 
narrative  of  their  treatment  of  him  aud  his  crew),  we  pur- 
sued our  voyage,  not  doubting  but  that  we  should  soon  reach 
the  North  Water,  an  extensive  sea  through  which  we  could 
sail  uninterruptedly  to  Pond's  Bay. 

During  the  night  we  advanced  through  loose  ice ;  but 
fog  and  a  rising  S.  E.  gale  delayed  us,  and  to-day  the  pack 
has  pressed  in  against  the  land,  so  that  our  wings  are  most 
unexpectedly  clipped.  A  walrus  was  shot  through  the  head 
by  a  Minie  bullet ;  none  other  will  penetrate  such  a  massive 
skull :  unfortunately  for  my  collection  of  specimens,  and 
for  the  dogs,  the  animal  sank. 

2d  July. — For  five  days  we  have  been  almost  beset 
amongst  loose  ice  and  grounded  bergs;  the  winds  were 
generally  from  the  S.  E.  and  accompanied  by  fog.  To 
avoid  being  squeezed  we  had  constantly  to  shift  our  posi- 
tion ;  once  we  were  caught  and  rather  severely  nipped  ;  the 
ship  was  heeled  over  about  ten  degrees  and  lifted  a  couple 
of  feet:  the  ice  was  three  feet  thick,  but  broke  readily 
under  her  weight.  Unfortunately  there  was  not  time  to 
unship  the  rudder,  so  it  suflfered  very  severely.  Upon  a 
previous  occasion  the  screw-shaft  was  bent  and  a  portion 
of  the  screw  broken  oflT.  ^^ 


I  A 


'1"  ^p 


■.a 


124 


ROTCHIES  AND  GULLS. 


Chap.  VIIL 


Landed  to  obtain  a  good  view  of  the  sea  in  the  offing; 
from  the  hills  we  could  see  nothing  but  pack  to  seaward. 
There  was  no  land-ice ;  we  stepped  out  of  the  boat  upon  a 
narrow  icefoot  which  fringed  the  coast ;  immediately  aboTe 
it  we  trod  over  a  velvet  sward  of  soft  bright  green  moss; 
the  turf  beneath  was  of  considerable  depth.  Here  and 
there  under  this  noble  range  of  cliffs,  which  are  composed 
of  primary  rocks,  there  exists  much  vegetation  for  so  high  a 
latitude.  From  the  fact  of  thick  layers  of  turf  descending 
quite  down  to  the  sea,  it  is  evident  that  the  land  has  been 
gradually  sinking.  Steep  slopes  of  rocky  debris,  which 
screen  the  bases  of  the  most  precipitous  cliffs,  form  secare 
nurseries  for  the  little  auk ;  these  localities  were  literally 
alive  with  them  ;  they  popped  in  and  out  of  every  crevice, 
or  sat  in  groups  of  dozens  upon  every  large  rock.  I  have 
nowhere  seen  such  countless  myriads  of  birds.  The  rotchie, 
or  little  auk,  lays  its  single  egg  upon  the  bare  rock,  far 
within  a  crevice  beyond  the  reach  of  fox,  owl,  or  burgo- 
master gull.  We  shot  a  couple  of  hundred  during  our 
short  stay  on  shore,  and,  by  removing  the  stones,  gathered 
several  dozen  of  their  eggs. 

The  huge  predatory  gulls,  long  ago  named  "  Burgomas- 
ters" by  Dutch  seamen  (because  they  lord  it  over  their 
neighbors,  and  appropriate  everything  good  to  themselves), 
have  established  themselves  in  the  cliffs,  where  their  nests 
are  generally  inaccessible :  we  were  a  month  too  late  for 
their  eggs ;  the  young  birds  were  as  large  as  spring  chick- 
ens Of  course  we  obtained  specimens  of  the  red  snow, 
but  had  to  seek  rather  diligently  for  it ;  its  color  wuh  a  dirty 
red,  very  like  the  stain  of  port  wine :  very  few  patches  of 
it  were  found. 

Last  night  a  westerly  wind  blew  freshly  and  dispersed  the 
ice  outside  of  us,  so  much  so  that  this  evening  wo  have  got 
out  into  almost  clear  water.  Farewell  Greenland  I — hurrah 
for  the  west !  . 


m 


^'V* 


•i'-iM 


{'-I'n 


m 


Jolt,  186i 


t\ 


II 


5//i.— 
Cliffs,  wc 
for  Pond 
haste  to 
which  we 

Af<(Br 
through 
and  a  thi 

When 
to  the  W. 
extreme  i 
to  the  N 
Sound  is 
ble,  and  t 
have  late] 
seems  bu 
not  water 
the  fractn 

until  evei 
To  the  TV 
fresh  at  E 
it;  and  ei 
would  pre 
We  founc 
right  ang 
than  it  h 
winding  t 
wind  grej 
no  fog;- 
mare, — oi 
look-oat 
good  60  1 
ally  mode 
turn  was 


Jvtr,  1858. 


FREE  FROM  THE  ICE. 


125 


bth. — After  getting  free  from  the  ice  o£f  the  Crimson 
Cliffs,  we  soon  lost  sight  of  the  last  fragment,  and  steered 
for  Pond's  Bay.  And  now  we  all  set  to  work  in  zealous 
baste  to  write  our  last  letters  for  England,  by  the  whalers, 
which  we  hoped  soon  to  meet  there. 

AftfiT  running  60  miles  the  ice  reappeared,  and  we  sailed 
through  a  vast  deal  of  it,  but  it  became  more  closely  packed, 
and  a  thick  fog  detained  us  for  a  day. 

When  the  weather  became  clear,  the  main  pack  was  seen 
to  the  W.,  S.,  and  S.  E. ;  in  the  hope  of  rounding  its  northern 
extreme  we  ran  along  it  to  the  N.  W.  To-day  it  has  led  us 
to  the  N.  and  N.  E.,  so  that  this  evening  Wolstenholme 
Sound  is  in  sight.  To  the  N.  the  pack  appears  impenetra- 
ble, and  there  is  a  strong  ice-blink  over  it.  All  the  ice  we 
have  lately  sailed  through  is  loose,  and  much  decayed  ;  it 
seems  but  recently  to  have  broken  away  from  the  land,  is 
not  water-washed,  neither  has  it  been  exposed  to  a  swell, 
the  fractured  edges  remaining  sharp. 

6/^. — Midnight.  Last  evening  I  persevered  to  the  N. 
until  every  hope  of  progress  in  that  direction  vanished. 
To  the  W.  the  pack  appeared  tolerably  loose;  the  wind  was 
fresh  at  E.  S.  E.,  so  I  determined  once  more  to  push  into 
it;  and  endeavor  to  battle  our  way  through;  I  hoped  it 
would  prove  to  be  merely  a  belt  of  30  or  40  miles  in  width. 
We  found  the  ice  to  lie  for  the  most  part  in  streams  at 
right  angles  to  the  wind,  and  therefore  much  more  open 
than  it  had  appeared :  there  was  seldom  any  difficulty  in 
winding  through  it  from  one  water-space  to  another.  The 
wind  greatly  increased,  bringing  much  rain,  but  fortunately 
no  fog; — the  dread  of  this  hung  over  me  like  a  night- 
mare,— our  progress  depended  upon  the  vigilance  of  the 
look-out  kept  in  the  crow's-nest.  By  noon  we  had  made 
good  60  miles.  Throughout  the  day  the  wind  has  gradu- 
ally moderated ;  the  rain  gave  place  to  snow,  which  in  its 
tnrn  was  succeeded  by  mist.    The  evening  was  fine  eventa- 


"'.'•' 


m 


'\3i 


126 


ICE  CLOSING  AGAIN. 


CnAP.  VIU 


ally  and  clear ;  but  still  we  find  the  ice  is  all  around.  Just 
before  midnight  the  termination  of  our  lead  was  disco?ered, 
whilst  the  ice  through  which  we  had  passed  was  closing  to- 
gether, and  a  dense  fog  came  rolling  down.  Under  these 
circumstances  the  ship  was  made  fast  as  near  to  the  nip  as 
safety  permitted,  to  await  some  favorable  change. 

loth. — All  the  tth  we  remained  in  our  small  basin,  there 
being  no  outlet  from  it,  and  but  little  water  anywhere  visible. 
To  pass  away  the  dull  hours  and  get  rid  of  unwelcome  re- 
flections upon  the  similarity  of  our  present  position  and 
that  in  August  last,  I  commenced  an  attack  upon  all  the 
feathered  denizens  of  the  pack — they  seemed  so  provokingly 
contented  with  it — but  they  soon  became  wary,  and  deserted 
our  vicinity,  so  I  shot  only  a  dozen  fulmar  petrels,  three 
ivory  gulls,  two  looms,*  and  a  Lestris  parasiticus ;  some 
of  them  were  useful  as  specimens,  and  such  as  were  not 
destined  for  our  table  were  given  to  the  dogs.  Although 
Oobourg  Island  *vas  45  miles  distant  from  us,  its  lofty 
rounded  outlines  were  very  distinct,  and  much  covered  with 
snow.  On  the  8th  we  squeezed  through  nips  for  4  or  5 
miles,  and  on  the  9th,  reaching  a  large  space  of  water, 
steamed  towards  Cobourg  Island  until  again  stopped  by 
the  pack  at  an  early  hour  this  morning,  when  within  5  or  6 
leagues  of  it. 

This  evening  we  are  endeavoring  to  steam  in  toward  the 
West-land,  and  fancy  we  can  trace  with  the  crow's-nest  tel- 
escope a  practicable  route  through  the  intervening  ice- 
mazes  to  a  faint  streak  of  water  along  the  shore.  This  sort 
of  navigation  is  not  only  anxious,  but  wearying.  To  me  it 
seems  as  if  several  months  instead  of  only  eight  days  has 
elapsed  since  we  left  Cape  York.  We  are  constantly 
wonderifig  what  our  whaling  friends  are  about,  and  where 
they  are  ? 


*  These  birds  are  called  willooks  at  home;  they  are  the  ''Uria  Bru&< 
niohii"  o'  naturalisti. 


JctT,  186«. 


VISIT  OF  NATIVES. 


12t 


lAth. — The  faint  streak  of  water  seen  on  the  night  of  the 
lOth  proved  to  be  an  extensive  sheet  to  leeward  of  Cobourg 
Island.  We  reached  it  next  morning.  Jones'  Sound  ap- 
peared open,  and  a  slight  swell  reached  us  from  it,  but  all 
along  the  shore  there  was  close  pack.  Although  but  little 
water  was  visible  to  the  southward,  we  persevered  in  that 
direction,  and,  as  the  ice  was  rapidly  moving  off  shore 
QDder  the  combined  influence  of  wind  and  tide,  we  were 
only  occasionally  detained. 

Two  hundred  and  forty-two  years  ago — ^to  a  day,  I  be- 
lieve— ^William  Baffin  sailed  without  hindrance  along  this 
coast  and  discovered  Lancaster  Sound.  What  a  very  dif 
ferent  season  he  must  have  experienced ! 

Passing  near  Cape  Horsburgh  we  approached  De  Ros 
Islet  at  midnight.  The  air  being  very  calm,  and  still,  the 
8hoatiii«^  of  some  natives  was  heard,  although  we  could 
scarcely  distinguish  them  upon  the  land-ice.  The  ship  was 
made  fast,  and  the  shouting  party,  consisting  of  three  men, 
hree  women,  and  two  children,  eagerly  came  on  board. 
Only  four  individuals  remained  on  shore. 

The  old  chief  Eal-lek  is  remarkable  amongst  Esquimaux 
for  having  a  bald  head.  He  inquired  by  name  for  his  friend 
Captain  Inglefield.  These  three  families  hare  spent  the  last 
two  years  upon  this  coast,  between  Cape  Horsburgh  and 
Oroker  Bay.  Their  knowledge  does  not  extend  further  in 
either  direction.  They  are  natives  of  more  southern  lands, 
and  crossed  the  ice  in  Lancaster  Sound  with  dog-sledges. 
Since  the  visit  of  the  'Phojnix*  in  *54  they  have  seen  no 
ships,  nor  have  any  wrecks  drifted  upon  their  shores.  They 
seemed  very  fat  and  healthy,  but  complained  that  all  the 
reindeer  had  gone  away,  and  asked  if  we  could  tell  where 
they  went  to  ?  Our  presents  of  wood,  knives,  and  needles 
were  eagerly  received.  They  assured  us  that  Lancaster 
Sound  was  still  frozen  over,  and  that  all  the  sea  was  covered 
with  pack.    After  half  an  hour's  delay  we  steamed  onward, 


•  -  t 


!  !'«■ 


F   i. 


"I 


^s. 


it 


128 


OFF  LANCASTER  SOUND. 


Chai   fin. 


and  on  reaching  a  larger  space  of  water  our  hopes  (woine- 
what  depressed  by  the  native  intelligence)  began  to  revive, 
Bat  we  soon  found  that  our  clear  water  terminated  near 
Cape  Warrender.  Lancaster  Sound,  although  not  frozeo 
over,  was  crammed  full  of  floes  and  icebergs.  The  wioii 
increased  to  a  strong  gale  from  the  east,  and  pressed  Id 
more  ice.  At  length  the  ship  was  with  difficulty  made  fast 
to  a  strip  of  land-ice  a  few  miles  westward  of  Point  Osborn, 
Gradnally  the  gale  subsided,  but  not  until  the  pack  was 
close  in  against  the  land.  The  tides  kept  sweeping  it  to 
and  fro  to  our  great  discomfort.  The  land  is  composed  of 
gneiss,  and  the  gravelly  shore  is  low.  A  few  ducks  only 
have  been  shot,  and  traces  of  reindeer  and  hares  seen.  Our 
Melville  Bay  friends,  the  rotchies,  are  very  rare  visitors  upon 
this  side  of  Baffin's  Bay. 

Part  of  a  ship's  timber  has  been  found  upon  the  bcacb; 
it  measures  t  inches  by  8  inches,  is  of  American  oak,  and, 
tlthough  sound,  has  long  been  exposed  to  the  weather. 


^.r-p. 


iWLt*  18M. 


OFF  CAPE  WARRENDBR.    ' 


199 


*  y    I 


CHAPTER    IX. 


Off  Cape  Warrender — Sight  the  whalers  again — Enter  Pond's  Bay — Com* 
municate  with  Esquimaux — Ascend  Pond's  Inlet — Esquimaux  informa* 
tion — Arctic  summer  abode — An  Arctic  village — No  intelligence  of 
Franklin's  ships — Arctic  trading — Geographical  information  of  natives 
—Information  of  Rae's  visit — Improvidence  of  Esquimaux — Travels 
of  Esquimaux. 

l&th  July. — To  borrow  a  whaling  phrase,  we  are  "dodg- 
ing about  in  a  hole  of  water''  off  Cape  Warrender.  I 
recognize  the  little  bay  just  to  the  west  of  the  cape  where 
Parry  landed  in  September,  1824.  The  "  immense  mass  of 
8D0W  and  ice  containing  strata  of  muddy-looking  soil "  is 
there  still,  and,  I  should  think,  had  considerably  increased. 
Here  his  party  shot  three  reindeer  out  of  a  small  herd. 
We  have  narrowly  scanned  the  steep  hill-sides  with  our 
glasses,  but  without  discovering  any  such  inducement  to 
laiid. 

No  cairns  are  visible  upon  Cape  Warrender ;  the  natives 
have  probably  removed  them.  Dense  pack  prevents  us  from 
approaching  Port  Dundas  or  crossing  to  the  southern  shore. 
We  all  find  these  vexatious  delays  are  by  no  means  condu- 
cive to  sleep.  The  mind  is  busy  with  a  sort  of  magic-lantern 
representation  of  the  past,  the  present,  and  the  future,  and 
resists  for  weary  hours  the  necessary  repose.  , 

lllh. — Last  night's  calm  has  allowed  the  pack  to  expand 
so  much,  that  to-day  we  have  steamed  through  it  until 
within  three  miles  of  the  noble  cliffs  of  Cape  Hay ;  and 
now  we  are  drifting  eastward  with  the  ice  precisely  as  did 
the  'Enterprise'  and  'Investigator,'  in  September,  '49. 
9 


180 


THE  WHALERS  AGAIN. 


Cbap.II 


Upon  that  occasion  we  were  set  free  off  Pond's  Bay.  There 
is  a  very  extensive  loomery  at  Capo  Hay ;  we  regret  the 
circumstances  whicli  prevent  our  levying  a  tax  upon  it. 
Here,  if  anywhere,  I  expected  to  find  a  clear  sea,  but  east 
winds  have  prevailed  for  twenty  days  out  of  the  last  twenty- 
five,  and  this  accounts  for  the  present  state  of  the  sea;  the 
next  succession  of  west  winds  will  probably  effect  a  pro* 
digious  clearance  of  ice. 

2l8/. — The  'Tay'  was  seen  to-day  in  loose  ice,  and  macb 
further  off  the  land.  She  gradually  steamed  through  it  to 
the  southward,  and  by  night  was  almost  out  of  sight.  Her 
appearance  surprised  us,  as  we  supposed  she  must  have 
reached  Pond's  Bay  long  ago.  Ten  hours'  struggling  with 
steam  and  sails  at  the  most  favorable  intervals  has  only  ad* 
vanced  us  five  miles.  The  weather  is  remarkably  warm, 
bright,  and  pleasant.  A  very  large  bear  came  within  150 
yards,  and  was  shot  by  Petersen,  the  Minie  bullet  passing 
through  his  body.  This  beast  measured  8  ft.  3  in.  in  length; 
his  fat  carcase  was  hoisted  on  board  with  great  satisfaction, 
as  our  dogs'  food  was  nearly  expended. 

24/A. — Last  night  the  ice  became  slack  enough  to  afford 
some  prospect  of  release,  so  we  charged  the  nips  vigorous- 
ly, and  rteamed  away  through  devious  openings  toward  Cape 
Fanshare.  For  several  hours  but  little  progress  was  made, 
but  this  morning  the  ice  became  more  open ;  clear  water 
was  seen  ahead,  and  reached  by  noon.  Although  it  is  calm 
I  prefer  waiting  for  a  breeze  to  expending  more  coals.  We 
are  only  ten  miles  from  Possession  Bay.  The  air  is  so  very 
clear  that  the  land  appears  quite  close  to  us.  All  that  is  not 
mountainous  is  well  cleared  of  snow.  There  is  immense 
refraction.  Only  a  single  iceberg  in  sight.  The  sea-water 
is  light  green,  as  remarked  by  Parry  in  1819. 

26/A. — A  vessel  was  seen  yesterday  morning ;  the  day 
continuing  calm,  we  steamed  throngh  some  loose  ice,  and 
joined  her  off  Capo  Walter  Bathurst  in  the  evening.    It 


JoLV,  1858 


ENTER  POND'S  BAY. 


181 


proTcd  to  be  the  'Diana ;'  she  parted  from  us  on  the  16th 
of  June  in  Melville  Bay,  has  everywhere  been  obstructed  by 
the  paci{,  as  we  have  been,  and  only  reached  Cape  Warren- 
der  three  days  before  us.  From  thence  to  Possession  Bay 
she  met  with  no  obstruction.  The  subsequent  east  winds 
brought  in  all  the  ice  which  has  so  much  retarded  us. 

The '  Dianu '  has  already  captured  twelve  whales.  Taking 
the  bint  from  Capt.  Gravill,  we  have  made  fast  to  a  loose 
floe,  and  are  drifting  very  nearly  a  mile  an  hour  to  the  south- 
ward along  the  edge  of  a  very  formidable  land-ice,  which  is 
seven  or  eight  miles  broad.  All  to  seaward  of  us  is  packed 
ice.  The  old  whaling  seamen  of  the  '  Diana'  are  astonished 
at  the  unusual  and  unaccountable  abundance  of  ice  which 
everywhere  fills  up  Baffin's  Bay.  All  the  'Diana's'  steam- 
ing coals,  her  spare  spars,  wood,  and  even  a  boat,  have  been 
burnt  in  the  protracted  struggle  through  the  middle  ice. 

2*lth. — After  putting  our  letter-bag  on  board  the  'Diana' 
this  morning,  we  steamed  on  for  Pond's  Bay,  and  at  noon 
made  fast  near  Button  Point  to  the  land-ice,  which  still  ex- 
tends across  it. 

For  four  hours  Petersen  and  I  have  been  bargaining  with 
an  old  woman  and  a  boy,  not  for  the  sake  of  their  seal- 
skins, but  in  order  to  keep  them  in  good  humor  whilst  we 
extracted  information  from  them.  They  said  they  knew 
nothing  of  ships  or  white  people  ever  having  been  within 
this  inlet,  nor  of  any  wrecked  ships.  They  knew  of  the 
dep6t  of  provisions  left  at  Navy  Board  Inlet  by  the  'North 
Star,'  but  had  none  of  them.  The  woman  has  traced  on 
paper  the  shores  of  the  inlet  as  far  as  her  knowledge  ex- 
tends, and  has  given  me  the  name  of  every  point.  She  says 
the  ice  will  break  up  with  the  first  fresh  wind.  These  two 
individuals  are  alone  here.  They  remained  on  purpose  to 
barter  with  the  whalers,  and  cannot  now  rejoin  their  friends, 
who  are  only  25  miles  up  the  inlet,  because  the  ice  is  unsafe 
to  travel  over,  and  the  land  precipitous  and  impracticable 


.^t'-'.'f! 


183 


EXAMINE  NATIVE  CACHES. 


Cbap.  II 


This  afternoon  the  'Tay'  stood  in  toward  us,  and  Capi 
Doncbars  kindly  sent  his  boat  on  board  with  an  offer  to  take 
charge  of  our  letters.  The  'Tay'  reached  this  coast  onlyi 
few  days  ago,  haying  met  with  the  same  difficulties  whicli  we 
experienced.  The  'Innuit'  was  last  seen  nearly  a  month 
ago  beset  off  Jones'  Sound.  The  remaining  steamer,  the 
'  Chase,'  has  not  been  seen  or  heard  of. 

29/A. — The  old  woman's  denial  of  all  knowledge  of  the 
wrecks  or  cast-away  men  was  very  unsatisfactory.  I  deter* 
mined  to  visit  her  countrymen  at  their  summer  village  of 
Kaparoktolik,  which  she  described  as  being  only  a  short 
day's  journey  up  the  inlet. 

Petersen  and  one  man  accompanied  me.  We  started 
yesterday  morning  with  a  sledge  and  a  Halkett  boat 
Although  the  ice  over  which  we  purposed  traveling  broke 
away  from  the  land  soon  after  setting  out,  yet  we  managed 
to  get  half  way  to  the  village  before  encamping.  This 
morning  we  learnt  the  truth  of  the  old  woman's  account 
A  range  of  precipitous  cliffs  rising  from  the  sea  cut  us  off 
by  land  from  Kaparoktolik,  so  we  were  obliged  to  return  to 
the  ship.  Our  walk  afforded  the  opportunity  of  examining 
some  native  encampment  and  caches.  We  found  innumera- 
ble scraps  of  seal-skins,  bird-skins,  walrus  and  other  bones, 
whalebone,  blubber,  and  a  small  sledge.  The  latter  was 
very  old,  and  composed  of  pieces  of  wood  and  of  large 
bones  ingeniously  secured  tof^ether  with  strips  of  whalebone. 
Five  preserved-meat  tins  were  found ;  some  of  them  retain- 
ing their  original  coating  of  red  paint.  Doubtless  these 
were  part  of  the  spoils  from  Navy  Board  Inlet  dep6t.  The 
total  absence  of  fresh  wood  or  iron  was  strongly  in  favor  of 
the  old  woman's  veracity.  Since  yesterday,  ice,  about  16 
miles  in  extent,  has  broken  up  in  the  inlet,  and  is  drifting 
out  into  Baffin's  Bay. 

During  my  absence  our  shooting  parties  have  twice 
Tisite'!  a  loomery  upon  Cape  Graham  Moore,  and  each 


JuiT,  1S&8« 


ASCEND  POND'S  INLET. 


138 


time  bare  brought  on  board  800  looms.  Yery  few  birdj 
and  no  other  animals  were  seen  during  oar  walk  over  thb 
rici)  mossy  slopes  to*day.  I  saw  a  pair  of  Canadian  brown 
I  crones,  the  first  of  the  species  I  have  ever  seen  so  far  north, 
thongh  Sir  Robert  M'Clure  found  them,  I  kno  ;,  on  Bank's 
Land. 

The  lands  enjoying  a  southern  aspect,  even  to  the  sum- 
Imits  of  hills  700  or  800  feet  in  height,  were  tinged  with 
green ;  but  these  hills  were  protected  by  a  still  loftier  range 
to  the  north.  Upon  many  well-sheltered  slopes  we  found 
mach  rich  grass.  All  the  little  plants  were  in  full  flower ; 
8ome  of  them  familiar  to  us  at  homo,  such  as  the  buttercup, 
sorrel,  and  dandelion.  I  have  never  found  the  latter  to  the 
I  north  of  69°  before. 

The  old  woman  is  much  less  excited  to-day;  she  says 
I  there  was  a  wreck  upon  the  coast  when  she  was  a  little 
girt ;  it  lies  a  day  and  a  half's  journey,  about  45  miles,  to 
the  north ;  and  came  there  without  masts  and  very  much 
crashed;  the  little  which  now  remains  is  almost  buried  in 
the  sand.  A  piece  of  this  wreck  was  found  near  her  ahode^ 
—she  has  neither  hut  uor  tent,  but  a  sort  of  lair  constructed 
of  a  few  stones  and  a  seal-skin  spread  over  them,  so  that 
she  can  crawl  underneath.  This  fragment  is  part  of  a  floor 
timber,  English  oak,  T^  inches  thick ;  it  has  been  brought 
I  on  board. 

30//). — A  gale  of  wind  and  deluge  of  rain  has  detained 
I tiie  ship  until  this  evening;  we  are  now  steaming  up  the 
inlet,  having  the  old  lady  and  the  boy  on  board  as  our 
pilots;  they  are  delighted  at  the  prospect  of  rejoining  their 
friends,  from  whom  they  wore  eflfectually  cut  off  until  the 
return  of  winter  should  freeze  a  safe  pathway  for  them ; 
they  had,  however,  abundance  of  looms  stored  np  en  cache 
for  their  subsistence.  She  has  drawn  mo  another  chart, 
much  more  neatly  than  the  former,  but  so  like  it  as  to  prove 
that  her  geographical  knowledge,  and  not  her  powers  of  in- 


<:*.■' A. 


134 


ESQUIMAUX  INFORMATION. 


CnAp.  a  ^M  ico.  1)958. 


I: 


!; 


▼ention,  have  been  taxed.  She  is  a  widow ;  her  daughter ii 
married,  and  lives  at  a  place  called  Igloolik,  which  is  sizot 
seven  days*  journey  from  here, — three  days  up  the  iulet, 
then  about  three  days  overland  to  the  southward,  and  theo 
a  day  over  the  ice. 

Thinking  it  not  quite  impossible  that  this  Igloolik  might 
oe  the  place  where  Parry  wintered  in  1822-3,  I  told  Peter- 
sen to  ask  whether  ships  had  ever  been  there?    Sht 
answered,  "  Yes,  a  ship  stopped  there  all  one  winter ;  but  | 
it  is  a  long  time  ago."    All  she  could  distinctly  recollect 
having  been  told  about  it  was,  that  one  of  the  crew  died, 
and  was  buried  there,  and  his  name  was  Al-lah  or  £[. 
leh.     On  referring  to  Parry^s  *  Narrative,'  I  found  that  tbt 
ice-mate,  Mr.  Elder,  died  at  Igloolik  I     This  is  a  very  re- 
markable confirmation  of  the  locality, — for  there  are  seven!  | 
places  called  Igloolik.     She  also  told  us  it  was  an  island, 
and  near  a  strait  between  two   seas.     The  Esquimau  I 
take  considerable  pains  to  learn,  and  remember  names ;  thii 
woman  knows  the  names  of  several  of  the  whaling  captains,  { 
and  the  old  chief  at  De  Bos  Islet  remembered  Captaia  lo- 
glefield's  name,  and  tried  bard  to  pronounce  mine. 

She  now  told  us  of  another  wreck  upon  the  coast,  bat  I 
many  days'  journey  to  the  south  of  Pond's  Bay ;  it  cam  | 
there  before  her  first  child  was  born.     Her  age  is  not  1 
than  forty-five.  / 

August  ith. — Our  Esquimaux  friends  have  departed  frool 
us  with  every  demonstration  of  friendship,  to  return  to  their 
Tillage.  Wo  have  had  free  communication  with  them  for 
four  days — not  only  through  Mr.  Petersen,  but  also  throng^ 
our  two  Greenlanders ;  the  result  is,  that  they  have  do  | 
knowledge  whatever  of  either  of  the  missing  or  the  abi 
doned  searching  ships.  Neither  wrecked  people  nor  wrecked  I 
ships  have  reached  their  shores.  They  seemed  to  be  mock 
in  want  of  wood ;  most  of  what  they  have  consists  of  staTetj 
of  casks,  probably  from  the  Navy  Board  Inlet  dep6t. 


CnAp.IlBico-1^^^' 


VISIT  TO  A  NATIVE  VILLAGE. 


135 


In  their  bartering  with  us,  saws  were  most  eagerly  soaght 
for  in  exchange  for  narwhal's  horns ;  they  are  used  by  them 
in  cutting  up  the  long  strips  of  the  bones  of  whales  with 
which  they  shoe  the  runners  of  their  sledges,  also  the  ivory 
and  bone  used  to  protect  the  more  exposed  parts  of  their 
kayaks  and  the  edges  of  their  paddles  from  the  ice. 

Files  were  also  in  great  demand,  and  I  found  were  re- 
qaired  to  convert  pieces  of  iron-hoop  into  arrow  and  spear 
beads.  If  any  suspicion  existed  of  their  having  a  secret 
supply  of  wood,  such  as  a  wreck  or  even  a  boat  would 
afford,  it  was  removed  by  their  refusing  to  barter  the  most 
trifling  things  for  axes  or  hatchets. 

But  I  must  relate  the  events  of  the  last  few  days  as 
they  occurred.  When  17  miles  within  the  inlet  we  reached 
the  unbroken  ice  and  made  the  ship  fast.  Here  the  slrait 
—originally  named  Pond's  Bay,  and  more  recently  Eclipse 
£ioun62— appears  to  be  most  contracted,  its  width  not  ex- 
ceeding 7  or  8  miles.  Both  its  shores  are  very  bold  and 
lofty,  often  forming  noble  precipices.  The  prevailing  rock 
is  grey  gneiss,  generally  dipping  at  an  angle  of  35^  to  the 
west. 

Early  on  the  Ist  of  August  I  set  out  for  the  native  vil- 
lage with  Hobson,  Petersen,  two  men,  and  the  two  natives 
from  Button  Point.  Eight  miles  of  wet  and  weary  ice- 
travelling,  which  occupied  as  many  hours,  terminated  our 
journey;  the  surface  of  the  ice  was  everywhere  deeply 
jchannelled  and  abundantly  flooded  by  the  summer's  thaw ; 
we  were  almost  constantly  launching  our  small  boat  over 
he  slippery  ridges  which  separated  pools  or  channellings 
hrough  which  it  was  generally  necessary  to  wade. 

After  toiling  round  the  base  of  a  precipice,  we  came  ra- 
her  suddenly  in  view  of  a  small  semicircular  bay ;  the  cliffs 

n  either  side  were  800  or  900  feet  high,  remarkably  for- 

idding  and  desolate ;  the  mouth  of  a  valley  or  wide  moun- 
gorge  opens  out  into  its  head.     Here*  in  the  depth  of 


K  1     M  ifi 


■  >  >J 


'f'-jj 


'I    J 


i 
■ ) 


-? 


■ii 


136 


AN  ARCTIC  VILLAGE. 


CUAP.H 


the  bay,  upon  a  low  flat  strip  of  land,  stood  seven  tentfl,^ 
the  summer  village  of  Eaparok-to-lik.  I  never  saw  a  lo. 
cality  more  characteristic  of  the  Esquimaux  than  that  whicli 
they  have  here  selected  for  their  abode  ;  it  is  widely  pictur- 
esque in  the  true  Arctic  application  of  the  term. 

Although  August  had  arrived,  and  the  summer  had  beea 
a  warm  one,  the  bay  was  still  frozen  over ;  and  if  there  vu  | 
an  ice-covered  sea  in  front,  there  was  also  abundance  of 
ice-covered  land  in  the  rear — a  glacier  occupied  the  whole  | 
valley  behind  and  to  within  300  yards  of  the  chosen  spot! 

The  glacier's  height  appeared  to  be  from  160  to  200 1 
feet ;  its  sea-face  extending  across  the  valley, — a  probable  | 
width  of  300  or  400  yards, — was  quite  perpendicular, 
fully  100  feet  high.     All  last  winter's  snow  had  thawedl 
away  from  ofif  it  and  exposed  a  surface  of  mud  and  stones, 
fissured  by  innumerable  small  rivulets,  which  threw  them- 
selves over  the  glacier  cliffs  in  pretty  cascades,  or  shot  fai  I 
out  in  strong  jets  from  their  deeply  serried  channels  in  its 
face;   whilst  other    streamlets    near  the   base   burst  oot| 
through  subglacial  tunnels  of  their  own  forming. 

What  a  strange  people  to  confine  themselves  to  suehal 
mere  strip  of  beach  I  Upon  each  side  they  have  towering | 
rocky  hills  rising  so  abruptly  from  the  sea,  that  to 
along  their  bases  or  ascend  over  their  summits,  is  ec 
impossible ;  whilst  a  threatening  glacier  immediataly  be- 1 
hind,  bears  onward  a  sufficient  amount  of  rock  and  eartH 
from  the  mountains  whence  it  issues,  to  convince  even  the] 
unreflecting  savage  of  its  progressive  motion. 

The  land  is  devoid  of  game,  although  lemmings  and  er-l 
mines  are  tolerably  numerous ;  it  only  supplies  the  mossl 
which  the  natives  burn  with  blubber  in  their  lamps,  and  tlul 
dry  grass  which  they  put  in  their  boots ;  even  the  softl 
stone,  lapis  ollaris,  out  of  which  their  lamps  and  cookifln 
vessels  are  made  and  the  iron  pyrites  with  which  they  stritel 
fire,  are  obtained  by  barter  from  the  people  inhabiting  thtl 


Chap.  II, 

1  tents,-. 
saw  a  lo. 
;hat  which 
5ly  pictnr- 

had  beeo 
there  vai 
ndance  of 
the  whole 
}en  spot! 
50  to  200 
1  probable 
icular,  and 
id  thawed 
ind  stones, 
irew  them- 1 
or  shot  fat 
nels  in  its 
burst  cot 

to  such  a 
e  towering 
at  to  pass 

is  equally 
liataly  be- 

and  eartU 
}  even  the 

igs  and  er-l 
the  moss  I 
)s,  and  tlitl 
n  the  soft| 
id  cookii 
they  strikel 
^biting  the 


«" 

a 


i  >i 


y.^> 


'111 


, »    iV' 


f  * 


Ato.  1858. 

land  to  the 
pensates  fc 
amounted 
children. 

All  of 
we  approai 
their  arms 
incessantly 
no  opportu 
they  had  p( 
in  a  beseec 

We  walk 
of  them,  ca 
oor  visit  i 
sledges;  b( 
bolt-holes  ( 
These  sledj 
years,  the  j 
green  fung 
other  aboui 
wreck  to  1 
sledge  crosi 
the  poles  i 
we  noticed 
and  a  fe 
stamped  " 
articles. 

Petersen 
knowledge 
served  to  c 
had  ever  h( 
ward.  Bol 
draw  charti 
mark  upon 
chiefs,  No( 


Auo.  1858.        NO  INTELLIGENCE  OP  FRANKLIN.  187 

f 

land  to  the  West  of  Navy  Board  lulet.  But  the  sea  com- 
pensates for  every  deficiency.  The  assembled  population 
amounted  to  only  25  souls :  9  men,  the  rest  women  and 
children. 

AH  of  them  evinced  extreme  delight  at  seeing  us;  as 
we  approached  the  huts  the  women  and  children  held  up 
their  arms  in  the  air  and  shouted  "  Pilletay  "  (give  me), 
incessantly ;  the  men  were  more  quiet  and  dignified,  yet  lost 
no  opportunity,  either  when  we  declined  to  barter,  or  when 
they  had  performed  any  little  service,  to  repeat  "Pilletay" 
in  a  beseeching  tone  of  voice. 

We  walked  everywhere  about  the  tents  and  entered  some 
of  them,  carefully  examining  every  chip  or  piece  of  metal ; 
oar  visit  was  quite  unexpected.  They  had  only  two 
sledges ;  both  were  made  of  2J  inch  oak-planks,  devoid  of 
bolt-holes  or  treenails,  and  having  but  very  few  nail-holes. 
These  sledges  had  evidently  been  constructed  for  several 
years,  the  parts  not  exposed  to  friction  were  covered  with 
green  fungus:  one  of  f  em  measured  14  feet  long,  the 
other  about  9  feet ;  we  were  told  the  wood  came  from  a 
wreck  to  the  southward  of  Pond's  Bay.  Most  of  the 
sledge  crossbars  were  ordinary  staves  of  casks.  Amongst 
the  poles  and  large  bones  which  supported  the  tents 
we  noticed  a  painted  fir  oar.  Some  pieces  of  iron-hoop 
and  a  few  preserved-meat  tins  —  one  of  which  was 
stamped  "  Goldner," — completed  their  stock  of  European 
articles. 

Petersen  questioned  all  the  men  separately  as  to  their 
knowledge  of  ships  or  wrecks ;  but  their  accounts  only 
served  to  confirm  the  old  woman's  story.  None  of  them 
had  ever  heard  of  ships  or  v^recks  any  where  to  the  west- 
ward. Both  individually  and  collectively  we  got  them  to 
draw  charts  of  the  various  coasts  known  to  them,  and  to 
mark  upon  them  the  positions  of  the  wrecks.  The  two 
chiefs,  Noo-luk  and  A-wah-lah,   soon    made    themselves 


•  ■  ■  ■■''  J''' 


138 


INTERVIEW  WITH  NATIVES. 


Chap.LI 


known  to  me,  and,  when  we  desired  to  go  to  sleep,  geot 
away  the  people  who  were  eagerly  pressing  round  our  teui 
AW  these  natives  were  better-looking,  cleaner,  and  inort 
robust  than  I  expected  to  6nd  them. 

A-wah-lah  has   been  to  Igloolik;  one  of  bis  wives,  for  I 
each  chief  has  two,  has  a  brother  living  there.     I  spread  i 
large  roll  of  paper  upon  a  rock,  and  got  him  to  drawtlie 
route   overland,  and   also  round   by  the  coast  to  it ;  tbii  | 
novel  proceeding  attracted  the  whole  population  about  as; 
A-wah-lah  constantly  referred  to  others  when  his  memorjl 
failed  him;  at  length  it  was  completed  to  the  satisfaction 
of  all  parties.     When  I  gave  him  the  knife  I  had  promised 
as  his  reward,  and  added  another  for  his  wives,  he  sprand 
up  on  the  rock,  flourished  the  knives  in  his  hands,  shouted, 
and  danced  with  extravagant  demonstrations  of  joy.    Hcij 
a  very  fine  specimen  of  his  race,  powerful,  impulsive,  full  of 
energy  and  animal  spirits,  and  moreover  an  admirable  mimic.  | 
The  men  were  all  about  the  same  height,  5  feet  5  iucbes; 
they  eagerly  answered  our  questions,  and  imparted  to  us  all 
the  geographical  knowledge,  although  at  first  they  hesitated 
when  we  asked  them  about  Navy  Board  Inlet,  in  con* 
quence  of  the  depot  placed  there  having  been  plundered; 
but  we  soon  found  that  they  were  easily  tired  under  cro^ 
examination,  and  often  said  they  knew  no  more;  it  m\ 
necessary  to  humor  them. 

According  to  their  account  the  depot  was  discovered  a 
robbed  by  people  living  further  west.     This  is  probabljl 
true,  as  so  few  relics  were  to  be  seen  here,  which  would  not 
be  the  case  if  such  active  fellows  as  A-wah-Iah  and  Noo* 
luk  had  received   the   first  intimation   of  its   proximitj 
These  people  of  Kaparoktolik  are  the  only  inhabitants  of  | 
the  land  lying  eastward  of  Navy  Board  Inlet,  and  live  en* 
tirely  upon  its  sow^/ier/i  shore.     In  a  similar  manner,  it  iH 
only  the  southern  coast  of  the  land  to  the  west  of  Na^J 
Board  Inlet  that  is  inhabited.     After  distributing  preseoti 


1858. 


GEOGRAPHICAL  INFORMATION. 


189 


all  the  women  and  children,  and  making  a  few  trifling  pur- 
hases  from  the  men,  we  returned  next  day  to  the  ship. 

During  my  absence  more  ice  had  broken  away,  involving 
|ie  ship  and  almost  forcing  her  on  shore.  It  required  every 
sertion  to  save  her.  For  two  hours  she  continued  in 
[mninent  danger,  and  was  only  saved  by  the  warping  and 
[e-hlasting,  by  which  at  last  she  got  clear  of  the  drifting 
[lasses,  four  minutes  only  before  these  were  crushed  up 
gainst  the  rocks ! 

Four  Esquimaux  came  oflf  to  the  ship  in  their  kayaks, 
ringing  whalebone,  narwhals'  horns,  etc.,  to  barter.    Next 

handsaws  and  files,  they  attached  the  greatest  value  to 
^ivcs  and  large  needles.  These  men  remained  on  board 
kr  nearly  two  days,  and  drew  several  charts  for  us.  Noo- 
jik  explained  tha  seven  or  eight  days'  journey  to  the 
puthward  there  are  t^joo  wrecks  a  short  day's  journey  apart. 
[lie  southern  is  in  an  inlet  or  strait  which  contains  several 
[lands,  but  here  his  knowledge  of  the  coast  terminates. 
lie  111::.  A-ra-neet  said  he  visited  these  wrecks  five  winters 
go.  All  of  them  agreed  that  it  is  a  very  long  time  since 
|ie wrecks  arrived  upon  the  coast;  and  Noo-luk,  who  ap- 
ears  to  be  about  forty-five  years  of  age,  showed  us  how 
he  was  at  that  time. 

In  the  '  Narrative  of  Parry's  Second  Voyage,'  at  p.  437, 
kention  is  made  of  the  arrival  at  Igloolik  of  a  sledge  con- 
pcted  of  ship-timber  and  staves  of  casks ;  also  of  two 
flips  that  had  been  driven  on  shore,  and  the  crews  of  which 
lent  away  in  boats.  In  August,  1821,  nearly  two  years 
jrevious  to  the  arrival  of  this  report  through  the  Esqui- 
|aax  to  Igloolik,  the  whalers  '  Dexterity'  and  *  Aurora' 
[ere  wrecked  upon  the  west  coast  of  Davis'  Strait,  in  lat. 
2°,  10  or  80  miles  southward  of  Pond's  Bay.  The  old 
|an.  Ow-wang-noot,  drew  the  coast-line  northward  from 
(ape  Graham  Moore  to  Navy  Board  Inlet,  and  pointed  out 
jie  position  of  the  northern  wreck  a  few  miles  east  of  Cape 


\\     .      (!' 


•1 


V-. 


140 


INFORMATION    OP   RAE'S    VISIT.  CiiMHo.1858. 


Hay.     Had  it  been  conspicuous  we  must  have  seen  it  n^ 
we  slowly  drifted  along  that  coast. 

These  people  usually  winter  in  snow-huts  at  Green  Poj 
a  mile  or  two  within  the  northern  entrance  of  Pond's 
They  hunt  the  seal  and  narwhal,  but  when  the  sea  becoi 
too  open  they  retire  to  Kaparoktolik ;  and  when  thei 
maining  ice  breaks  up  —  usually  about   the  middle 
August — a  further  migration  takes  place  across  tbe  inletj 
the  S.  W.,  where  reindeer  abound,  and  large  salmon  i 
numerous  in  the  rivers.     Every  winter  they  communia 
with  the  Igloolik  people.    Two  winters  ago  (1856-7)  i 
people  who  lived  far  beyond  Igloolik,  in  a  country  a 
A-ka-nee   (probably  the   Ak-koo-lee   of  Parry),  bmj] 
from  there  the  information  of  white  people  having  conej 
two  boats,  and  passed  a  winter  in  snow-huts  at  a  pli 
called  by  the  following  names  : — A-mee-lee-oke,  A-wee-l( 
Net-tee-lik. 

Our  friends  pointed  to  our  whale-boats  and  said  tbebn 
of  the  white  people  were  like  it,  but  larger.  These  w 
had  tents  inside  their  snow-huts ;  they  killed  and  eat 
deer  and  narwhal,  and  smoked  pipes ;  they  bought  dr« 
from  the  natives ;  none  died ;  in  summer  they  all  went  avij 
taking  with  them  two  natives,  a  father  and  his  son. 
could  not  ascertain  the  name  of  the  white  chief,  nor  I 
interval  of  time  since  they  wintered  amongst  tbe  'E^ 
maux,  as  our  friends  could  not  recollect  these  pai 
culars.*        '    ■       ^ 

The  name  of  the  locality,  A-wee-lik  (spelt  as  writt 
down  at  the  moment),  may  be  considered  identical 
"  Ay-wee-lik,"  the  name  of  the  land  about  Repulse  Bar] 
the  chart  of  the  Esquimaux  woman,  Iligliuk  (Parrj's 
ond  Voyage,'  p.  197). 

*  Dr.  Rae  wintered  at  Repulse  Bay  in  $tone  huts  in  1846-7. 
wintered  there  in  $now  huts  in  1853-4. 


I  We  were  of 
>'8  visit  to  I 
Id  also  disapj 
aaklin's  Bad 
Immanication. 
bned,  but  evi 
|opIe  to  the 
^re. 

|Ovf-wang-no( 

Lde  a  chart 

|ang  at  the  t 

was  acquaii 

ho  once  accoi 

kd  as  be  had  c 

krd  called  Eri 

I  Igloolik. 

|AItbough  the 

[for  wood  tha 

|it  here  also,  i 

|bt  poles  or  oa 

r  harpoon  and 

flingly  have  b: 

tiady  obtaine( 

by  had  no  oth 

m  to  make  t1 

JThey  collect  y 

antity  to  carr; 

|h-lah  showed 

had  many  n 

m  first  this 

fh  a  fancy  to  i 

Jalebone  in  ex 

subsequentl 

Ddred  pounds 

fp  retnrns  to  ] 


io.  1858. 


BARTER  WITH  NATIVES. 


141 


iWe  were  of  course  greatly  surprised  to  find  that  Dr. 

I's  visit  to  Repulse  Bay  was  known  to  this  distant  tribe ; 
Id  also  disappointed  to  find  they  had  heard  nothing  of 

iDklin's  Back-Riyer  parties  through  the  same  channel  of 
Umanication.  They  were  anxiously  and  repeated  ques< 
Ined,  but  evidently  had  not  heard  of  i»ny  other  white 
Lople  to  the  westward,  nor  of   their   having    perished 

ere. 

lOvr-wang-noot  lived  at  Igloolik  in  his  early  days,  and 
ke  a  chart  of  the  lands  adjacent,  but  said  he  was  so 
lang  at  the  time  that  "  it  seemed  'like  a  dream  to  him/' 

was  acquainted  with  Ee-noo-loo-apik,  the  Esquimaux 
lio  once  accompanied  Captain  Penny  to  Aberdeen,  and 
Id  us  be  had  died,  lately  I  think,  at  a  place  to  the  south- 
ed called  Kri-merk-su-malek,  but  that  his  sister  still  lives 
Igloolik. 

(Although  they  told  us  the  Iglooklik  people  were  worse 
[for  wood  than  they  were  themselves,  yet  it  was  evident 
lit  here  also,  it  is  very  scarce.  We  could  not  spare  them 
|ht  poles  or  oars  such  as  they  were  most  desirous  to  obtain 

harpoon  and  lance  staves  and  tent-poles ;  and  they  would 
{llingly  have  bartered  their  kyaks  to  us  for  rifles  (having 
J  obtained  some  from  the  whaling-ships),  but  that 
by  had  no  other  way  of  getting  back  to  their  homes,  nor 
jod  to  make  the  light  framework  of  others. 
ITbey  collect  whalebone  and  narwhal's  horns  in  sufficient 
antity  to  carry  on  a  small  barter  with  the  whalers.  A- 
|h-lah  showed  us  about  thirty  horns  in  his  tent,  and  said 

bad  many  more  at  other  stations.  A  few  years  ago, 
ken  first  this  bartering  sprang  up,  an  Esquimaux  took 
p  a  fancy  to  a  fiddle  that  he  offered  a  large  quantity  of 
|alebone  in  exchange  for  it.  The  bargain  was  soon  made, 
subsequently  this  whalebone  was  sold  for  upwards  of  a 

ndred  pounds  1     Each  successive  year,  when  the  same 
|p  retarns  to  Pond's  Bay,  this  native  comes  on  board  to 


'■■■'imk 


■ttfli 


■■{>.''' 'Ju 
■!'.l  ^3-^ 

'ft-  * 
'  'Vri ; 

mm 

|;-i*i,--i':r 


142 


TEMPT A'"'IONS  TO  BARTER. 


CUAl'.ul 


Tisit  his  friends,  and  goes  on  shore  with  many  prcsciiUii| 
remembrance  of  the  memorable  transaction.  It  is  luuJ 
better  fur  him  thus  to  receive  annual  gifts  than  to  have  J 
ceived  a  large  quantity  at  first,  as  the  iraprovidencc  of  thei| 
men  surpasses  belief, 

Oi  the  "red  of  iron  about  four  feet  long,  supposed ti| 
have  been  at  one  time  galvanized,"  which  was  brought  boo 
in  1856  by  Captain  Patterson,  and  forwarded  to  the  U 
miralty,  I  could  obtain  no  information.     The  natives  wen 
shown  galvanized  iron,  and  said  they  had  never  seen  aii]{ 
before ;  if  their  countrymen  had  any,  it  must  have  con 
from  the  whalers ;  none  like  it  was  found  in  the  wreck 
Kod-iron  is  very  valuable  to  the  Esquimaux  for  spears  i 
lances^  and  narwhals'  horns  very  tempting  to  the  seamei 
not  only  as  valuable  curiosities,  but  the  ivory  is  worth 
a  crown  a  pound ;  and  I  have  but  little  doubt  that  manyc 
the  things  said  to  have  been  stolen  by  the  natives  m 
fraudulently  bartered  away  by  the  sailors.     That  there  tii 
no  galvanized  iron  on  board  any  of  the  Government  sean 
ing  ships,  nor  in  the  missing  expedition  which  sailed  fro^ 
England  as  far  back  as  1845,  I  am  almost  certain.    Buti 
it  certain  that  this  rod  was  galvanized  ?    The  natives  gati 
Captain  Patterson  to  understand  that  they  got  it  from 
wreck  to  the  north. 

•  In  July,  1854,  Captain  Deuchars  was  at  Pond's  Bay,: 
many  natives  visited  bis  ship,  coming  over  the  ice  on  tweh 
or  fourteen  sledges  made  of  ship's  planking.  Now  at  tlii 
time  Sir  Edward  Belcher's  ships  were  still  frozen  opij 
Barrow  Strait.  My  own  impression  is  that  the  natirj 
whom  Captain  Deuchars  communicated  with  in  1854  wei 
visitors-  at  Pond's  Bay — certainly  from  the  southward- 
probably  attracted  by  the  barter  recently  grown  up  at  tM 
whaling  rendezvous.  Having  discovered  the  use  of 
saws  obtained  by  barter  from  our  whalers,  they  had  succ 
folly  applied  them  to  the  stout  planking  of  the  old  wreeb 


1158. 


TRAVELS  OF  ESQUIMAUX. 


14t 


rbich  they  conid  not  have  stripped  off  with  any  tools  pre- 
fioasly  in  their  possession. 

That  the  various  tribes,  or  rather  groups  of  families,  occa- 

[ionally  visit  each  other,  sometimes  for  change  of  hunting- 

sands,  but   more  frequently  for  barter,  is  well  known. 

^nptain  Parker  told  me  that  a  native,  whom  he  had  met 

^ne  summer  at  Dnrbin  Island,  came  on  board  his  ship  at 

gild's  Bay  the  following  year.     The  distance  between  the 

hto  places,  as  travelled  by  this  man  in  a  single  winter,  is 

carcely  short  of  500  miles ;  and  the  information  given  us 

|f  Rae's  wintering  at  Repulse  Bay,  information  which 

DQst  have  travelled  here  in  two  winters,  shows  that  these 

atives  communicate  at  still  greater  distances. 

Did  other  wrecks  exist  nearer  at  hand,  our  Pond's  Bay 

hends  ivould  be  much  better  supplied  with  wood.     If  the 

Esqaimanx  knew  of  any  within   300,  400,  or  even   500 

piles,  the  Pond's  Bay  natives  would  at  least  have  heard  of 

bem,  and  could  have  had  no  reason  for  concealing  it  from 

I  only  regret  that  we  had  not  the  good  fortune  to  see 

bore  than  a  few  natives,  and  but  twG  sledges  of  ship's 

[lanking ;  otherwise  our  own  information  might  have  been 

lore  copious,  and  the  origin  of  the  fresh  supply  of  planking 

lecislvely  ascertained. 


•I,'. 


Ufis- 


■■  ■•* 


■(■ 


^m. 


•«:;-ii 


■;■  •:'m 


Hi 


LBAVB  POND'S  BAT. 


Out  I 


CHAPTER    X. 

L«aT«  Pond'a  Bay — A  gale  in  Lancaster  Sound — The  Beeeheylilul 
Depot — An  Arctic  Monument — Refleotione  at  Beecliey  Island— Pt» 
oeed  up  Barrow'e  Strait — Peel  Sound — Port  Leopold — Prince  BegtDt'i 
Inlet — Bellot  Strait — Flood-tide  from  the  West — UnaucoesBful  Efforti- 
Fox'i  Hole — No  water  to  the  West — Precautionary  Measures— Fouitl  | 
Attempt  to  pass  through. 


Bth  udu^.— Continued  calms  have  delayed  us.     Tbijl 
eTening  we  steamed  from  Pond's  Bay  northward,  although 
oar  coals  have  been  sadly  reduced  by  the  almost  constaQt 
necessity  for  steam-power  since  leaving  the  Waigat.    The 
three   steam- whalers  have  gone  southward ;    none  othenl 
have  arrived.     They  appear  to  us  to  be  leaving  the  wh 
behind  them ;  we  saw  many  whilst  up  the  strait,  and  attbil 
edge  of  the  remaining  ice.     The  natives  said  they  wonldl 
remain  as  long  as  the  ice  remained,  but  when  it  all  brokil 
up  they  would  return  into  Baffin's  Bay  and  go  southward;! 
and  that  these  animals  arrive  in  early  spring,  and  do  DOt| 
pass  through  the  strait  into  any  other  sea  beyond. 

Monday  evening,  9th. — On  the  night  of  the  6th  a  plei-l 
sant,  fair  breeze  sprang  up,  and  enabled  us  to  dispense  wi*i| 
the  engine.  An  immense  bear  was  shot ;  he  measured 
feet  T  inches  in  length,  and  is  destined  for  the  musenm  ofl 
the  Royal  Dublin  Society.  On  the  Tth  the  wind  gradualijl 
freshened  and  frustrated  my  intention  of  examining  tbel 
wreck  spoken  of  near  Cape  Hay  ;  at  night  it  increased  tol 
a  very  heavy  gale.  Although  past  Kavy  Board  Inle^l 
very  little  ice  had  yet  been  met  with.  The  weather,  t 
(ear  of  ice  to  leeward,  obliged  us  to  heave  the  vessel  ti^l 


Oitfl 


iohey  Iilul 
[■land— Pi» 
ice  Beg«nt'i 
iful  EfforU- 
ires— Fow4 


as.     Tbii 
,  altbougli 
it  coDstaot 
gat.    The 
)ne  othen 
the  whale) 
and  at  thil 
hey  woaldl 
b  all  broke! 
oathwardJ 
.nd  do  not| 

id. 

Jth  a  plefrl 
peuse  whli| 
leasured 
nuseam  of  I 
gradualijl 
Dining  ttitl 
creased  tol 
ard  InleU 
lather,  anil 
i  vessel  t(\| 


y*-\^: 


TIIK    'FOX'    AUUIVING    AT    HKKCIIKY    ISLAND. 
Drawn  by  Captain  May. 


»    I 


■'J 


MOONLIGHT   IN   THE   ARCTIC    REGI0N3. 
T»rawn  by  *^aptaln  May. 


Acs.  18!>8. 


BEECHET  ISLAND  DEPOT. 


145 


nnder  main  trysail  and  fore  staysail.  The  sqaalls  were 
extremely  violent  and  seas  unusually  high. 

All  Sunday,  the  8th,  the  gale  continued,  although  not 
with  such  extreme  force ;  the  deep  rolling  of  the  ship,  and 
moaning  of  the  half-drowned  dogs  amidst  the  pelting  sleet 
and  rain,  was  anything  but  agreeable.  Notwithstanding 
that  I  had  been  up  all  the  previous  night,  I  felt  too  anxious 
to  sleep ;  the  wind  blew  directly  up  Barrow  Strait,  drifting 
as  about  two  miles  an  hour.  Occasionally  she  drifte4  to 
leeward  of  masses  of  ice,  reminding  us  that  if  any  of  the 
dense  pack  which  covered  this  sea  only  three  weeks  ago 
remained  to  leeward  of  us,  we  must  be  rapidly  setting  down 
upon  its  weather  edge.  The  only  expedient  in  such  a  case 
is  to  endeavor  to  run  into  it — once  well  within  its  outer 
margin  a  ship  is  comparatively  safe — the  danger  lies  in  the 
attempt  to  penetrate ;  to  escape  out  of  the  pack  after- 
wards is  also  a  doubtful  matter. 

In  the  evening  we  were  glad  to  see  the  land,  and  find 
ourselves  off  the  north  shore  near  Cape  Bullen,  for  the 
violent  motion  of  the  ship  and  very  weak  horizontal  mag- 
netic force  had  rendered  our  compasses  useless.  This 
morning,  the  9th,  the  gale  broke,  and  the  sea  began  to  sub- 
side rapidly ;  by  noon  it  was  almost  calm,  but  a  thick 
gloom  prevailed,  ominous,  it  might  be,  of  more  mischief. 
All  along  the  land  there  is  ice,  but,  broken  up  into  harm- 
less atoms.  We  have  carried  away  a  main  gaff  and  a  jib- 
stay,  but  have  come  remarkably  well  through  such  a  gale 
I  with  such  trifling  damage. 

Uth. — Before  noon  to-day  we  anchored  inside  Cape 
I  Riley,  and  immediately  commenced  preparations  for  embark- 
ing coals.  I  visited  Beechey  Island  house,  and  found  the 
door  open  ;  it  must  have  been  blown  in  by  an  easterly  gale 
long  ago,  for  much  ice  had  accumulated  immediately  inside 
it.  Most  of  the  biscuit  in  bags  was  damaged,  but  every 
I  thing  else  was  in  perfect  order.  Upon  the  north  and  west 
10 


.V   >■' 


V  v,f 


*i  ''I'd 


<^^n 


146 


BEECHET  ISLAND  DEPOT. 


Chap.  X. 


sides  of  the  house,  where  a  wall  had  been  constructed,  there 
was  A  Tast  accumulation  of  ice,  in  which  the  lower  tier  of 
casks  between  the  two  were  imbedded,  and  its  surface 
thawed  into  pools.  Neither  casks  nor  walls  should  have 
been  allowed  to  stand  near  the  house.  The  southern  and 
eastern  sides  were  clear  and  perfectly  dry.  The  '  Mary' 
decked  boat,  and  two  30-feet  lifeboats,  were  in  excellent 
order,  and  their  paint  appeared  fresh,  but  oars  and  bare 
wood  were  bleached  white. 

The  gutta-percha  boat  was  useless  when-  left  here,  and 
remains  in  the  same  state.  Two  small  sledge  travelling 
boats  were  damaged ;  one  of  them  had  been  blown  oyer 
and  over  along  the  beach  until  finally  arrested  by  the 
other.  The  bears  and  foxes  do  not  appear  to  have  touched 
any  thing.  I  have  taken  on  board  all  letters  left  here  for 
Franklin's  or  CoUinson's  expeditions,  and  also  a  20-feet 
sledge-boat  for  our  own  travelling  purposes. 

Last  night  we  steamed  rery  close  round  Cape  Hurd  in 
a  dense  fog,  and  crept  along  the  land  as  our  only  guide: 
we  were  thus  led  into  Bigby  Bay,  and  discovered  a  shoal 
ofif  its  entrance  by  grounding  upon  it.  After  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  we  floated  off  unhurt. 

In  lowering  a  boat  to  pursue  a  bear,  Robert  Hampton 
fell  overboard  ]  fortunately  he  could  swim,  and  was  very 
soon  picked  up,  but  the  intense  cold  of  the  water  had  almost 
paralyzed  his  limbs.  The  bear  was  shot  and  taken  oc 
board. 

Sunday  15th,  9  P.  M. — Our  coaling  was  completed  yes- 
terday, and  the  ship  brought  over  and  anchored  off  the 
house  in  Erebus  and  Terror  Bay.  A  small  proportion  of 
provisions  and  winter  clothing  has  been  embarked  to  com* 
plcte  our  deficiencies  ;  the  ice  has  been  scraped  out  of  the 
house  and  its  roof  thoroughly  repaired,  a  record  deposited, 
and  door  securely  closed. 

I  found  lying  at  Godhavn  a  marble  tablet  which  bad 


Ava.  1858. 


AN  ARCTIO  MONUMENT. 


141 


been  sent  out  by  Lady  Franklin,  in  the  American  expe- 
dition of  1855  under  Captain  Hartstein,  for  the  purpose 
of  being  erected  at  Beechey  Island.  Circumstances  pre- 
vented the  Americans  executing  this  kindly  service,  and  it 
fell  to  my  lot  to  convey  it  to  the  site  originally  intended 
The  tablet  was  constructed  in  New  York,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Mr.  Grinnell,  at  the  request  of  Lady  Franklin,  in 
order  that  the  only  opportunity  which  then  offered  of  send 
ing  it  to  the  Arctic  regions  might  not  be  lost.  I  placed 
the  monument  upon  the  raised  flagged  square  in  the  centro 
of  which  stands  the  cenotaph  recording  the  names  of  those 
who  perished  in  the  Government  expedition  under  Sir  Ed- 
ward Belcher.  Here  also  is  placed  a  small  tablet  to  the 
memory  of  Lieutenant  Bellot.  I  could  not  have  selected 
for  Lady  Franklin's  memorial  a  more  appropriate  or  con- 
gpicaons  site.     The  inscripJon  runs  as  follows  - 


)*5 


mm 


S:, 


VV.  .' 


-•i''J'^te.„.l 


■\.-  '  ■  ■■ 


(■ 


•  - ,  i:i'  •  . 


148 


THE  INSCRIPTION. 


Cbap.X 


!^ 


TO  THE  MEMORY  OF 

FRANKLIN, 
CEOZIEE,  FITZ JAMES, 

AND  ALL  THEIR 

GALLANT  BROTHER  OFFICERS  AND  FAITHFUL 

COMPANIONS  WHO   HAVE  SUFFERED  AND  PERISHED 

IN  THE   CAUSE   OF  SCIENCE  AND 

THE  SERVICE  OF  THEIR  COUNTRY. 

THIS  TABLET 

IS  ERECTED  NJBAR  THE  SPOT  WHERE 

.THEY  PASSED  THEIR  FIRST  ARCTIC 

WINTER,  AND   WHENCE  THEY  ISSUED 

FORTH  TO  CONQUER  DIFFICULTIES  OR 

TO    DIP^. 

IT  COMMEMORATES  THE   GRIEF  OF  THEIR 

ADMIRING   COUNTRYMEN   AND   FRIENDS, 

AND  THE  ANGUISH,  SUBDUED  BY  FAITH, 

.      OP   HER  WHO   HAS  LOST,  IN   THE   HEROIC 

LEADER  OF   THE  EXPEDITION,  THE  MOST 

DEVOTED  AND  AEFECTIONATE  OP 

HUSBANDS. 

O 

"AND  SO  HE  BRINGETU  THEM  UNTO  THE 

HAVEN   WHERE  THEY   WOULD  BE." 

1855. 

This  stone  has  been  entrusted  to  be  affixed  in  its  place  by  the  Officers  and  Crew  of 
the  American  Expedition,  commanded  by  Lt.  H.  J.  Uartstein,  in  search  t  Vt. 
Kaue  and  his  Companions. 

Thip  Tablet  havloi?  been  left  at  Disco  by  (be 
American  Expedition,  wbich  was  unable  to 
readi  Beechey  Island,  in  i8.'>5,  was  put  on         v 
board  the  Discovery  Yacht  Fox,  and  is  now  I 

set  up  here  by  Captain  M'Clintock,  R.  N.,  \  ' 

eommanding  the  final  expedition  of  search 
for  ARcertRining  the  fate  of  Sir  John  Franl  'in 
aid  his  coD)pan*ons,  185S. 


ilna.  1858.      BEFLECTIOXS  AT  BEECHEY  ISLAND. 


149 


We  are  now  ready  to  proceed  upon  our  voyage  from 
Beechey  Island,  and  there  is  no  ice  in  sight ;  but  haying 
worked  almost  unceasingly  since  our  arrival  up  to  the  pre- 
sent hour,  the  men  require  a  night's  rest.  Nearly  forty  tons 
of  fuel  have  beeu  embarked.  *    , 

The  total  absence  of  ice  in  Barrow  Strait  is  astonishing. 
No  less  so  are  the  changes  and  chances  0/  this  singular 
navigation.  Twelve  days  later  than  this  in  1850,  when  1 
belonged  to  Her  Majesty's  ship  'Assistance,'  with  consider- 
able difficulty  we  came  within  sight  of  Beechey  Island ;  a 
cairn  on  its  summit  attracted  notice ;  Captain  Ommanne^ 
managed  to  land,  and  discovered  the  first  traces  of  the  mis 
sing  expedition.  Next  day  the  United  States  schoonei 
'  Rescue' arrived ;  the  day  after.  Captain  Penny  joined  us, 
and  subsequently  Captain  Austin,  Sir  John  Ross,  and  Cap- 
tain Forsyth, — in  all,  ten  vessels  were  assembled  here.  This 
day  six  years,  when  in  command  of  the  '  Intrepid,'  we  sailed 
from  here  for  Melville  Island  in  company  with  the  '  Reso- 
lute.' Again  I  was  here  at  this  time  in  1854, — still  frozen 
up, — in  the  '  North  Star,'  and  doubts  were  entertained  of 
the  possibility  of  escape. 

To  come  down  to  a  later  period,  it  was  this  day  fortnight 
only  that  I  set  out  for  the  native  village  in  Pond's  Inlet, 
under  the  guidance  of  an  old  woman ;  the  trip  was  inter- 
esting, but  we  failed  to  obtain  the  slightest  clue  to  the 
"whereabouts"  of  the  missing  ships ;  moreover,  our  own 
little  vessel  had  a  most  providential  escape  from  being 
crushed  against  the  cliffs ;  and  this  day  week  was  spei^t  in 
contending  with  a  furious  gale,  during  which  the  ship  had 
nearly  been  driven  to  leeward  and  dashed  to  pieces  by  the 
sea-beaten  pack.  Yet  these  are  only  prelin  naries, — we  are 
only  now  about  to  commence  the  interesting  part  of  our 
voyage.  It  is  to  be  hoped  the  poor  '  Fox'  has  many  more 
lives  to  spare. 

Monday  night,  IQth  Aug. — Sailed  from  Beechey  Isla&d 


150 


PROCEED  DOWN  PEEL  STRAIT. 


Obap.  X 


this  morning,  and  in  the  evening  landed  at  Cape  Hothaio. 
A  small  depot  of  provisions  and  three  boats  were  left  there 
by  former  expeditions.  Of  the  depot  all  has  been  destroyed 
with  the  exception  of  two  casks  landed  in  1850.  The  boaU 
were  sound,  but  several  of  their  oars,  which  had  been  se- 
2ured  upright,  were  found  broken  down  by  bears — those 
inquisitive  animals  having  a  decided  antipathy  to  anything 
stuck  up — stuck  up  things  in  general  being,  in  this  country, 
innatural.  Fragments  of  the  depot  and  the  broken  oars 
vere  tossed  about  in  every  direction.  Numerous  renorfls 
vere  found ;  to  the  most  recent  a  few  lines  were  added, 
itating  that  we  had  removed  the  two  whale-boats — one  to 
be  left  at  Port  Leopold,  the  other  to  replace  our  own 
crushed  by  the  ice.        ^--^  "  'h'^  v  ^i' 

'  1*7^^. — Last  night  battling  against  a  strong  foul  wind 
with  sea,  in  rain  and  fog.  To-day  much  loose  ice  is  seen 
southward  of  Griffith's  Island.  The  weather  improved  this 
afternoon,  and  we  shot  gallantly  past  Limestone  Island,  and 
are  now  steering  down  Peel  Strait ;  all  of  us  in  a  wild  state 
of  excitement — a  mingling  of  anxious  hopes  and  fears  I 

ISth, — For  25  miles  last  evening  we  ran  unobstructedly 
down  Peel  Strait,  but  then  came  in  sight  of  unbroken  ice 
extending  across  it  from  shore  to  shore  I  It  was  much  de- 
cayed, and  of  one  year's  growth  only ;  yet  as  the  strait  con- 
tin  aes  to  contract  for  60  miles  further,  and  it  appeared  to 
me  to  afford  so  little  hope  of  becoming  navigable  in  the 
short  remainder  of  the  season,  I  immediately  turned  about 
for  Bellot  Strait,  as  affording  a  better  prospect  of  a  passage 
into  the  western  sea  discovered  by  Sir  James  Ross  from 
Four  River  Point  in  1849.  Our  disappointment  at  the 
interruption  of  our  progress  was  as  sudden  as  it  was  severe. 
We  did  not  linger  in  hope  of  a  chaage,  but  steered  out 
again  into  the  broad  waters  of  Barrow  Strait.  However, 
should  Bellot  Strait  prove  hopeless,  I  intend  to  return 


Auo.  1858. 


PORT   LEOPOLD. 


151 


hither  to  make  one  more  effort  before  the  close  of  the 
season. 

We  arc  now  approaching  Port  Leopold,  where  it  is  ne- 
cessary to  stop  for  a  few  hours  to  examine  the  state  of  the 
steam  launch,  provisions  and  stores,  left  there  in  1849,  as 
adverse  circumstances  may  oblige  me  to  fall  back  upon  it  as 
a  point  of  support. 

Wh. — At  anchor  in  Port  Leopold  ;  it  is  perfectly  clear 
of  ice ;  we  arrived  in  the  night.  How  astonishingly  bare 
the  land  looks;  it  is  more  barren  than  Beechey  Island, 
whilst  the  rock  contains  far  fewer  fossils  I  On  this  day  nine 
years  ago  the  harbor  and  sea  continued  covered  with  ice, 
and  the  ships  ('Enterprise*  and  'Investigator')  were  unable 
to  escape.  At  some  period  since  then  the  ice  has  been 
pressed  in  upon  the  low  shingle  point ;  it  has  forced  the 
launch  up  before  it,  and  left  her  broadside  on  to  the  beach, 
with  both  bows  stove  in,  and  in  want  of  considerable  re- 
pairs, but  the  means  are  all  at  hand  for  executing  them. 
We  tried  to  hau!  her  further  up,  but  she  was  firmly  im- 
bedded and  frozen  into  the  ground.  Many  things  appear 
to  have  been  covered  with  the  loose  shingle,  bags  of  coal 
and  coke  just  appearing  through  it  scarcely  above  high- 
water  mark.  Amongst  the  missing  articles  is  the  steam- 
engine. 

Although  the  flagstaff  upon  the  summit  of  North  East 
Cape  is  still  standing,  the  one  erected  upon  this  point  and 
almost  the  whole  of  the  framing  of  the  house  lies  prostrate. 
The  provisions  appeared  to  be  sound,  but  were  not  gene- 
rally examined.  The  whale-boat  we  removed  from  Cape 
Hctham  was  landed  here,  and  a  record  of  our  proceedings 
added  to  the  many  which  have  accumulated  here  during 
the  last  ten  years.  Some  coke  and  a  few  things  useful  to 
us  and  merely  decaying  here  were  taken  on  board,  and  by 
evening  we  were  again  speeding  onward  with  augmented 
^sources,  and  the  confidence  inspired  by  a  secure  dep6t  in 


■^vfr^i 


(j     ■■■■     /.'■it:  .  ••"  '!*i«f 

■<  -Mm 

■  •  ii*'^.'  -',1 


.•ft- 


til 

!•    iS'l 


:  '  ■"^s■'i^■'■%U■ 
■.,  :%:i.:  yi.f^t 
,■1       ,  p]y:\  •  f  ^--^i 


,j  ■ 


152 


DEPOT  BAY. 


COAP.  I 


our  rear ;  buoyed  up  moreover  by  the  joyful  anticipation  of 
soon  reaching  the  goal  of  our  long-deferred  hopes. 

20th.— Noon.  Exactly  oflf  Fury  Point.  There  is  one 
large  iceberg  far  off  in  the  S.  E. ;  no  other  ice  in  sight !  I 
would  have  landed  at  Fury  Beach  to  examine  the  remain. 
ing  supplies  there,  but  a  snow  shower  prevented  our  distin- 
guishing anything,  and  a  strong  tide  carried  us  past  before 
we  were  aware  of  it. 

We  feel  that  the  crisis  of  our  voyage  is  near  at  hand. 
Does  Bellot  Strait  really  exist  ?  if  so,  is  it  free  from  ice  ? 

A  dep6t  of  provisions  is  being  got  ready  to  be  landed, 
should  it  be  practicable  for  us  to  push  through  and  proceed 
to  the  southward. 

2l8t. — On  approaching  Brentford  Bay  last  evening  packed 
ice  was  seen  streaming  out  of  it,  also  much  ice  in  the  S.  E. 
The  northern  point  of  entrance  was  landed  upon  by  Sir 
John  Boss  in  1829,  and  named  Possession  Point;  we 
rounded  it  closely,  and  could  distingnish  a  few  stones  piled 
up  upon  a  large  rock  near  its  highest  part — this  is  his 
cairn.  As  we  passed  westward  between  the  point  and 
Browne's  Island,  through  a  channel  a  mile  in  width,  a  close 
pack  was  discovered  a  few  miles  ahead ;  .and  it  being  past 
ten  o'clock,  and  almost  dark,  the  ship  was  anchored  in  a 
convenient  bay  three  or  four  miles  within  Possession  Point 
Here  our  dep6t  is  to  be  landed,  therefore  we  shall  name  this 
for  the  present  Depdt  Bay;  a  very  narrow  isthmus  between 
its  head  and  Hazard  Inlet  unites  the  low  limestone  penin- 
sula, of  which  Possession  Point  is  the  extreme,  to  the  main- 
land. 

To-day  an  unsparing  use  of  steam  and  canvas  forced  the 
ship  eight  miles  further  west ;  we  were  then  about  half-way 
through  Bellot  Strait  I  Its  western  capes  are  lofty  bluffs, 
such  as  may  be  distinguished  fifty  miles  distant  in  clear 
weather ;  between  them  there  was  a  clear  broad  channel, 
but  five  or  six  miles  of  close  heavy  pack  intervened— the 


Alio.  ISftS- 


BELLOT  STRAIT. 


158 


sole  obstacle  to  oar  progress.  Of  coarse  this  pack  will 
gpeedily  disperse ; — it  is  no  wonder  that  we  shoald  feel 
elated  at  sach  a  glorioas  prospect,  and  content  to  bide  our 
time  in  the  sccarity  of  Dep6t  Bay.  A  feeling  of  tranqaillity 
-^f  earnest,  hearty  satisfaction — has  come  over  us.  There 
is  no  appearance  amongst  us  of  anything  boastiful ;  we 
have  all  experienced  too  keenly  the  vicissitudes  of  Arctic 
voyaging  to  admit  of  such  a  feeling. 

At  the  turn  of  tide  we  perceived  that  we  were  being 
carried,  together  with  the  pack,  back  to  the  eastward; 
every  moment  our  velocity  was  increased,  and  presently  we 
were  dismayed  at  seeing  grounded  ice  near  us,  but  were 
very  quickly  swept  past  it  at  the  rate  of  nearly  six  miles  an 
hoar,  though  within  200  yards  of  the  rocks,  and  of  instant 
destruction  I  As  soon  as  we  possibly  could  we  got  clear 
of  the  packed  ice,  and  left  it  to  be  wildly  hurled  about  by 
various  whirlpools  and  rushes  of  the  tide,  until  finally 
carried  out  into  Brentford  Bay.  The  ice-masses  were  large, 
and  dashed  violently  against  each  other,  and  the  rocks  lay 
at  some  distance  off  the  southern  shore  ;  we  had  a  fortunate 
escape  from  such  dangerous  company.  After  anchoring 
again  in  Dep6t  Bay,  a  large  stock  of  provisions  and  a 
record  of  our  proceedings  were  landed,  as  there  seems  every 
probability  of  advancing  into  the  western  sea  in  a  very  few 


The  appearance  of  Bellot  Strait  is  precisely  that  of  a 
Greenland  fiord ;  it  is  about  20  miles  long  and  scarcely  a 
mile  wide  in  the  narrowest  part,  and  there,  within  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  of  the  north  shore  the  depth  was  ascertained  to  be 
400  feet.  Its  granitic  shores  are  bold  and  lofty,  with  a  very 
respectable  sprinkling  of  vegetation  for  lat.  72°.  Some  of 
the  hill-ranges  rise  to  about  1500  or  IGOO  feet  above  the 

sea.  '  '"  ,:.     „  .      .-p  /  .-  :    -  '. 

The  low  land  eastward  of  Depot  Bay  is  composed  of  lime- 
stone, destitute  alike  of  fossils  and  vegetation.     The  granite 


5  *■'      I    J*»i| 


it 


154 


BBLLOl  STRAIT. 


Chap.I 


I  f 


commences  npon  the  weet  shore  of  Depot  bay,  and  is  at 
once  bold  and  ragged.  Many  seals  have  been  seen ;  a 
young  bear  was  shot,  and  Walker  took  a  photograph  of 
him  as  he  lay  upon  our  deck,  the  dogs  creeping  near  to  lick 
up  the  blood. 

The  great  rapidity  of  the  tides  in  Bcllot  Strait  fully  ac- 
counts for  the  spaces  of  open  water  seen  by  Mr.  Kennedy* 
when  he  travelled  through,  early  in  April.  The  strait  rung 
very  nearly  east  and  west,  but  its  eastern  entrance  is  well 
masked  by  Long  Island  ;  when  half-way  through,  both  seas 
are  visible.  As  in  Greenland,  the  night  tides  are  much 
higher  than  the  day  tides  ;  last  night  it  was  high  water  at 
about  half-past  eleven ;  as  nearly  as  we  can  estimate,  the 
tide  runs  through  to  the  west,  from  two  hours  before  high 
water  until  four  hours  vfter  it ;  that  is,  the  flood-tide  comes 
from  the  west  I  Such  is  also  the  case  in  Hecla  and  Fury 
Strait ;  in  both  places  the  tide  from  the  west  is  much  the 
strongest.  I  am  not  sufficiently  informed  to  discuss  this 
subject,  but  infer  the  existence  of  a  channel  between  Vic- 
toria and  Prince  of  Wales'  Land.  The  rise  and  fall  is  much 
less  upon  the  western  side  of  the  Isthmus  of  Boothia  than 
upon  the  east,  and  it  likewise  decreases,  we  know,  in  Bar- 
row Strait,  as  we  advance  westward. 

23rd. — ^Yesterday  Bellot  Strait  was  again  examined,  but 
the  five  miles  of  close  pack  occupied  precisely  the  same  po- 
sition as  if  heaped  together  by  contending  tides ;  considera- 
ble augmentations  were  moreover  seen  drifting  in  from  the 
western  sea.  Finding  nothing  could  be  effected  in  Bellot 
Strait,  we  sought  in  vain  for  the  more  Isoathem  channel 
which  should  exist  to  form  Levesque  Island  :  we  did,  how* 
ever,  find  a  beautiful  harbor,  and  are  now  securely  anchored 
in  its  north-west  arm  ;  I  have  named  it  after  the  gentleman 
whose  former  island  I  have  thus  reluctantly  converted  into 

*  Mr.  Kennedy  discovered  this  important  passage  when  in  command 
•f  the  'Prince  Albert,'  in  1851. 


Aco.  1S&8. 


A  RAMBLE  ON  SHORE. 


155 


the  northern  extreme  of  the  Boothian  Peninsula,  and  con- 
sequently of  the  American  continent.  The  south-western 
angle  of  Brentford  Bay  is  still  covered  with  unbroken  ice. 

This  evening  we  all  landed  to  explore  our  new  ground. 
Young  and  Petersen  shot  some  brent  geese  ;  Walker  saw 
two  deer,  but  he  was  botanizing,  and  had  no  gun  ;  others 
were  seen  by  some  of  the  men,  and  followed,  but  without 
success. 

I  enjoyed  a  delightfully  refreshing  ramble,  a  mile  or  two 
inland,  through  a  gently  ascending  valley,  then  two  miles 
along  the  narrow  margin  of  a  pretty  little  lake  between 
mountains,  beyond  which  lay  a  much  larger  one,  four  or  five 
miles  in  diameter ;  this  farther  lake  was  only  partially  di- 
vested of  its  winter  ice.  Here  the  scenery  was  not  only 
grand,  but  beautiful ;  there  was  enough  of  vegetation  to 
tint  the  craggy  hill-sides  and  to  make  the  sheltered  hollows 
absolutely  green  ;  deer-tracks  and  the  footprints  of  wild 
fowl  were  everywhere  numerous  along  the  water-side.  I 
saw  two  decayed  skulls  of  musk  oxen,  and  circles  of  stones 
by  the  little  lake,  doubtless  at  some  remote  period  the 
gammer  residence  of  wandering  Esquimaux ;  hence  I  infer 
that  fish  abound  in  the  lake,  and  that  this  valley  is  a 
favorite  deer-pass. 

Bnt  the  contemplation  of  these  objects,  although  agreea- 
ble, was  not  the  object  of  my  solitary  ramble ;  I  came  on 
shore  to  cogitate  undisturbed  in  a  leisurely  and  philosophic 
manner.  We  hoped  very  soon  to  enter  an  unknown  sea; 
discoveries  were  to  be  made,  contingencies  provided  for, 
and  plans  prepared  to  meet  them. 

Yesterday  Petersen  shot  an  immense  bearded  seal ;  it 
sank,  but  floated  up  in  an  hour  afterwards.  This  animal 
measured  8  feet  long  and  weighed  about  500  lbs.  We  pre- 
fer its  flesh  to  that  of  the  small  seals,  and  its  blubber  will 
afford  a  valuable  addition  to  our  stock  of  lamp  oil  for  the 
coming  winter.  ^ 


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(716)S72-4S03 


^.''!« 


156 


PERILOUS  AMUSEMENT. 


Chap.  X 


25th. — In  Depot  Bay.  We  remained  but  twenty-four 
hours  in  Levesque  Harbor ;  a  change  of  wind  led  us  to  hope 
for  a  removal  of  the  ice  in  Bellot  Strait,  therefore  I  deter- 
mined to  make  another  attempt. 

When  off  the  table-land,  where  the  depth  is  not  more 
than  from  6  to  10  fathoms,  and  the  tides  run  strongest,  the 
ship  hardly  moved  over  the  ground,  although  going  6^ 
knots  through  the  water  I  Thus  delayed,  darkness  over- 
took  us,  and  we  anchored  at  midnight  in  a  small  indentation 
of  the  north  shore,  christened  by  the  men  Fox^s  Hole, 
rather  more  than  half-way  through. 

For  several  hours  we  had  been  coquetting  with  huge  ram- 
pant ice-masses  that  wildly  surged  about  in  the  tide- way,  or 
we  dashed  through  boiling  eddies,  and  sometimes  almost 
grazed  the  tall  cliffs  ;  we  were  therefore  naturally  glad  of  a 
couple  or  three  hours*  rest,  even  in  such  a  very  unsafe  po- 
sition. At  early  dawn  we  again  proceeded  west,  but  for 
three  miles  only ;  the  pack  again  stopped  us,  and  we  could 
perceive  that  the  western  sea  was  covered  with  ice ;  the  east 
wind,  which  could  alone  remove  it,  now  gave  place  to  a  hard- 
hearted westerly  one. 

All  the  strait  to  the  eastward  of  us,  and  the  eastern  sea, 
as  far  as  could  be  seen  from  the  hill-tops,  is  perfectly  free 
from  ice,  whereas  in  the  direction  we  wish  to  proceed  there 
is  nothing  but  packed-ice,  or  water  which  cannot  be  reached. 
Bitterly  disappointed  we  are,  of  course ;  yet  there  is  reason- 
able ground  for  hope ;  grim  winter  will  not  ratify  the 
obstinate  proceedings  of  the  western  ice  for  nearly  four 
weeks. 

Last  evening's  amusement  was  most  exciting,  nor  was  it 
without  its  peculiar  perils.  With  cunning  and  activity 
worthy  of  her  name,  our  little  craft  warily  avoided  a  tilting- 
match  with  the  stout  blue  masses  which  whirled  about,  as  if 
with  wilful  impetuosity,  through  the  narrow  channel ;  some 
of  them  were  so  large  as  to  ground  even  in  6  or  7  fathom? 


Aco.  1858. 


PRECAUTIONARY  MEASURES. 


X5t 


water.  Many  vrere  drawn  into  the  eddies,  and,  acquiring 
considerable  velocity  in  a  contrary  direction,  suddenly  broke 
boands,  charging  out  into  the  stream,  and  entering  into 
mighty  conflict  with  their  fellows.  After  such  a  frolic  the 
masses  would  revolve  peaceably  or  unite  with  the  pack,  and 
await  quietly  their  certain  dissolution  ;  may  the  day  of  that 
«ished-for  dissolution  be  near  at  hand  I  Nothing  but 
strong  hope  of  success  induced  me  to  encounter  such  dan- 
gerous  opposition.  I  not  only  hoped,  but  almost  felt,  that 
we  deserved  to  succeed. 

Two  plans  were  now  occupying  my  thoughts,  both  of 
them  resulting  from  the  conviction  that  we  should  probably 
I  be  compelled  to  winter  to  the  eastward  of  Bellot  Strait : 
tlic  most  important  of  these  plans  is  that  of  finding  some 
series  of  valleys,  chain  of  lakes,  or  continuous  low  land, 
practicable  as  an  overland  sledge-route  to  the  western  coast, 
along  which  we  may  transport  depots  of  provisions  this 
autumn ;  for  it  is  certain  that  the  strong  tides  will  prevent 
Bellot  Strait  from  being  frozen  over  till  winter  is  far  ad- 
iTanced,  and  its  surface  will  afford  us  no  means  of  passing 
jwestward  with  our  sledges. 

The  other  plan,  and  that  which  we  are  now  about  to  exe- 
cute,  is  to  land  a  small  dep6t  of  provisions  60  or  70  miles 
io  the  southward,  and  down  Prince  Regent's  Inlet,  in  order 
|io  facilitate  communication  with  the  Esquimaux  either  this 
lutumn  or  in  early  spring. 

This  precautionary  step  became  so  necessary  in  the  event 
|)f  the  west  coast  presenting  unusual  difficulties,  that  I  de- 
lermined  to  carry  it  at  once  into  execution.  Quitting  the 
[Fox's  Hole,"  and  resting  for  one  night  in  Dep6t  Bay,  we 
iiiled  thence  on  the  26th  ;  a  fine  breeze  carried  us  rapidly 
oathward  along  the  coast  of  Regent  Inlet ;  there  was  but 
pttle  obstruction ;  occasionally  it  was  necessary  to  pass 
wough  a  stream  of  loose  ice ;  but  we  saw  little  of  any 
N,  compared  to  the  experiences  of  Sir  John  Ross  in  1829. 


t  : 


"'■m 


■■  ■  I  ,  «■ 


-:^m 


, .  «  '  i 


■  ■  '■  K 


in 


15d 


ROSS'S  CAIRN. 


CHir.l 


About  dusk  (nine  o'clock)  much  loose  ice  to  the  sonth. 
ward  prevented  our  making  any  attempt  at  further  pro- 
gress;  we  therefore  anchored  off  the  coast — in  Stillwell 
Bay,  I  think — about  45  miles  from  the  Dep6t  Bay.  Here 
the  dep6t,  consisting  of  120  rations,  was  landed.  I  observe 
that  it  has  only  been  on  penetrating  into  Brentford  Bar 
that  we  have  found  the  primary  rocks  washed  by  the  sea; 
the  coast-line  both  north  and  south,  as  far  as,  and  beyond 
our  present  position,  is  a  low  shore  of  pale  limestone,  desti- 
tute of  fossils;  we  can,  however,  see  granitic  hill-ranges 
far  in  the  interior. 

On  the  2Tth  we  commenced  beating  back  to  the  north- 
ward, tacking  between  the  land  and  the  ice  which  lay  aboat 
15  miles  off  shore.  Towards  night  the  wind  greatly  in- 
creased, and  the  ship,  under  reefed  sail,  plunged  violentlj 
into  the  short,  swift,  high  seas ;  we  also  felt  quite  as  oneasj  | 
and  restless  as  the  ship,  in  our  great  anxiety  to  get  back  i 
and  ascertain  what  changes  were  likely  to  be  effected  by  the  | 
gale. 

2Sth. — To-night  the  weather  is  more  pleasant;  the  keen  I 
and  contrary  wind  has  given  place  to  a  gentle,  fair  breeze, 
the  swell  has  almost  subsided,  no  ice  has  been  seen  to-day, 
and  the  night  is  dark  and  unusually  mild.  I  can  bardljl 
fancy  that  the  sea  which  gently  rocks  us  is  not  the  ocean, 
and  the  soft  air  the  breath  of  our  own  temperate  region! 
The  delusion  is  charming  I 

80/^. — Yesterday  after  anchoring  in  Dep6t  Bay  I  walkedl 
over  to  Possession  Point,  to  visit  Boss's  cairn.  I  found il 
few  stones  piled  up  on  two  large  boulders,  and  under  eacli[ 
a  halfpenny,  one  of  which  I  pocketed.  Upon  the  groi 
lay  the  fragments  of  a  bottle  which  once  contained  tbe  rel 
cord,  and  near  it  a  staff  about  4  feet  long.  Having  calcs-l 
lated  upon  finding  the  bottle  sound,  I  was  obliged  to  mm 
an  impromptu  record-case  of  its  long  neck,  into  wbicblj 
thrust  my  brief  document,  and  consigned  it  to  the  m 


4N.  1858. 


MOUNT  WALKER. 


159 


custody  of  a  small  heap  of  stones,  the  staff  bein^  riocted 
oyer  it. 

It  was  dark  before  I  got  on  board  again.  The  strait  had 
been  reconnoitered  from  the  hills,  and  was  reported  to  bo 
perfectly  clear  of  ice !  This  morning  we  made  a  fourth  at- 
tempt to  pass  through ;  but  Bellot  Strait  was  by  no  means 
clear ;  the  same  obstruction  existed  which  defeated  our  last 
attempt,  and  in  precisely  the  same  place.  Returning  east* 
ward,  we  entered  a  narrow  arm  of  the  sea,  nearly  a  couple 
of  miles  to  the  west  of  Dep6t  Bay,  and  anchored  in  a  small 
creek  perfectly  sheltered  and  land-locked,  at  the  foot  of  a 
sagarloaf  hill.'*'  The  temperature  is  falling ;  last  night  it 
itood  at  240. 

*  Subieqaently  named  Mount  Walker. 


'*-''■-' 


■■^4 


m 


w 


HO 


PROCEED  WESTWARD  IN  A  BOAT. 


Cair.XL 


CHAPTER    XI. 

Proceed  westward  in  a  boat  —  Cheerlesn  atate  of  the  western  sea  —  Strug 
glos  in  Bellot  Strait  —  Faloons,  good  Arctic  fare  —  Tlie  resources  of 
Boothia  Felix  —  Future  sledge  traveling  —  Heavy  gales  —  HobsoD'i 
party  start  —  Winter  quarters  —  Beliefs  Strait  —  Advanced  depot  ei- 
tablished  —  Observatories  —  Intense  eold  —  Autumn  travelers  —  Nar 
row  escape. 


Most  nnxioas  to  kuow  the  real  state  of  the  ice  in  the 
western  sea — upon  which  oar  hopes  so  entirely  depend— I 
intend  starting  this  evening  by  boat,  as  far  through  Bellot 
Strait  as  the  ice  will  permit,  then  land  and  ascend  the  west- 
ern coast-hills. 

Ist  Sept, — Mj  boat  party  consisted  of  four  men  and  ths 
doctor,  who  came  with  me  for  the  novelty  of  the  cruise, 
bringing  his  camera  to  fasten  upon  anything  picturesque. 
We  landed  near  Half-way  Island,  and  pitched  our  tent  for 
the  night.  Early  next  morning  I  commenced  the  rathei 
fornSidable  undertaking  of  ascending  the  hills,  for  it  is  not 
possible  to  pass  under  the  cliffs,  and  at  last  I  gained  the 
summit  of  the  loftiest,  overlooking  Cape  Bird  at  a  distance 
of  3  or  4  miles,  and  affording  a  splendid  view  to  the  west- 
ward, as  well  as  glimpses  between  the  hills  of  the  blue 
eastern  sea.  Long  and  anxiously  did  I  survey  the  westero 
sea,^ice,  and  lands,  and  could  not  but  feel  that  in  all  proba- 
bility we  should  not  be  permitted  to  pass  beyond  our  present 
position. 

To  the  northward  Four  River  Point —  Sir  James  Ross' 
farthest  in  1849 — was  at  once  recognized  ;  rather  more 
than  nine  years  ago  I  stood  upon  it  with  him,  and  p^azeii 


CiAP.XL 


8ca  — SUrug 
resoarces  of 
8  —  Ilobson'i 
ced  depot  ei- 
relers  —  Nar 


ice  in  the 
depend— I 
mgh  Bellot 
id  the  west* 

len  and  the 

the  cruise, 
)icturesque. 
)ur  tent  for 

the  rathei 
for  it  is  not 

gained  ihe 
it  a  distance 
to  the  west- 
of  the  blue 

the  western 
n  all  proba- 
1  our  present 

James  Ross' 
rather  more 
I,  and  gA2e^ 


r-  ',s* 


--'■^^.tfr'-r. 


'~i^  ^^"- .'.'-) 


<•--."» 


rni     »-    ■-*,'- 


^^s^ 


^  ..jis^'  •♦>^.;;' 


-H,r^X^: 


'^  ^  >.^;^<;'^^ 


MCLINTOCK    IX    HIS    BOAT    SAILIJJd    TIIROL'tJII    HF.IJ.oT    STRAIT. 
Drawn  by  Captain  May. 


AfO.  1858. 


FOUR  RIVER  POINT. 


161 


^.«^^v„y  - 


h.MT    ST H AIT. 


almost  as  anxiously  in  tliis  direction  I  My  present  view 
eonririncd  the  impression  tlien  received,  of  a  wide  clmnnel 
leading  southward.  The  outline  of  tiic  western  land  is  very 
distant ;  it  is  of  considerable  but  uniform  elevation,  and 
slopes  gradually  down  to  the  strait,  which  is  between  30 
a:id  40  miles  wide.  This  western  land  appears  to  be  lime- 
stone, and  without  off-lying  islands.  Our  side  of  the  strait 
or  sea,  on  the  contrary,  is  primary  rock,  and  fringed  with 
islets  and  rocks;  its  southern  extreme  bears  S.  S.  W.,  and 
I  is  probably  30  miles  distant. 

Now  for  the  ice.  Although  broken  up,  it  lies  ogainst 
I  ibis  shore  in  immense  fields :  there  is  but  little  water  or 
room  for  ice-movement.  Along  the  west  shore  I  can  dis- 
tiogaish  long  faint  streaks  of  water.  There  is  no  appear- 
lince  of  disruption  about  Four  River  Point  or  in  the  con- 
Itncted  part  of  Peel  Strait  —  wc  have  nothing  to  hope  for 
lin  that  quarter ;  neither  is  there  any  evidence  of  current  or 
Ipressare ;  the  ice  appears  much  decayed ;  but,  as  I  am 
Inrveying  it  from  a  height  of  about  1600  feet,  I  may  be 
|4eceived. 

The  strong  contrast  between  the  eastern  and  western  seas 

Bd  lands  is  very  unfavorable  to  the  latter. 

Apart  from  the  ice,  I  was  fortunate,  however,  in  discover- 
along  narrovir  lake,  occupying  a  valley  which  lies  be- 
en a  small  inlet  near  Cape  Bird  and  Hazard  Inlet  —  in 

et,fisort  of  echo  of  Bellot  Strait  —  and  I  look  upon  it 

i  cor  sledge-route  for  the  autumn,  since  it  appears  proba- 
wc  shall  winter  in  our  present  position. 

This  is  a  wondrous  rough  country  to  scramble  over;  one 
|teTer  ceases  to  wonder  how  such  huge  blocks  of  rock  can 
bave  got  into  such  strange  positions.  I  noticed  two  masses 
fo  particular,  each  of  them  perched  upon  three  small  stones. 

the  rock  is  gneiss;  there  is  also  much  granite.     Even 

Dpou  the  hill-tops  pieces  of  limestone  are  occasionally  met 


rith. 


;.5E 


-il 


\-- 


11 


1 

vJr    ■ 

■,* 

~ 

"'i^i 

'4 

1    '---Mi 

m 

y  SSI 

1 

•^ 

i^B 

162 


STUlOnLES  IN  BELLOT  STRAIT.  Ciap.II  H|„.i8i8. 


My  walk  occupied  eleven  honrs,  and,  althoagh  I  eTery. 
where  saw  traces  of  animals,  the  only  living  thing  seen  wm 
a  grey  falcon.  During  my  absence  from  the  tent  the  \m 
rambled  all  over  the  hills,  but  saw  no  game  ;  our  encamp- 
ment was  therefore  shifted  to  a  better  position  near  iIm 
eastern  termination  of  the  table-land.  This  morning  we 
explored  the  neighboring  valleys ;  saw  three  deer,  and  shot  j 
one,  returning  on  board  the  '  Fox'  in  time  for  dinner. 

Many  deer  had  been  seen  not  far  from  the  ship,  and  Hob- 1 
son  had  shot  a  bearded  seal.     I  have  organized  another 
boot  party ;  Young  will  start  with  it  to-morrow  morning  t« 
seek  a  sledge  route  from  the  southern  angle  of  Brentford  | 
Bay  to  the  western  sea. 

5//{. — Young  returned  this   morning;    he  reports  tbt I 
south-west  angle  of  the  bay  not  to  run  in  so  fur  as  «e 
expected,  and  to  be  Environed  by  very  high  land,  impra^{ 
ticable  for  sledges.    • 

Our  Esquimaux,  Samuel,  shot  a  fawn  to-day. 

Strong  northerly  winds  have  latterly  prevailed;  Bellotl 
Strait  is  quite  clear  of  ice ;  to-morrow  morning,  therefore,! 
we  shall  make  our  fifth  attempt  to  get  the  '  Fox'  through. 

Qth. — Steamed  through  the  clear  waters  of  Bellot  Stnil 
this  morning,  and  made  fast  to  the  ice  across  its  westeni 
outlet  at  a  distance  of  two  miles  from  the  shore,  and  cIonI 
to  a  small  islet  which  we  have  already  dubbed  Pemmto(ix| 
Bock,  having  landed  upon  it  a  large  supply  of  that  s 
stantial  traveller's  fare,  with  other  provisions  for  our  futanl 
sledging-parties.  This  ice  is  in  large  stout  fields,  of  monl 
than  one  winter's  growth,  apparently  immovable  in  consM 
quence  of  the  numerous  islets  and  rocks  which  rise  through  aDdl 
hold  it  fast.  If  the  weather  permits,  we  shall  remain  benl 
for  a  few  days  and  watch  the  effects  of  winds  and  tides  apoi| 
it ;  that  the  ship  will  get  any  further  seems  improbable. 
^  10th. — I  have  explored  a  small  inlet  near  Cape  Bird,! 
which  we  have  named  False  Strait,  from  its  striking  i»[ 


nblanco  t 

om  Ihe  loi 

are  ssccrti 

lilevs  extci 

fi  good  s 

\o  160Q 

Cape  Bin 

erre  the 

Appearance ; 

he  ice  in  th 

oi^en  up  t 

bnger  any  fi 

lirds  and  a 

ire  been  sh 

lirn  to  'Mir 

^ndee'  oefo 

12//-.-.Yei 

^eek,  being  i 

U  are  alrea 

^t  occupati( 

iierl    Alth 

(rtber  in  our 

the  season 

diuess  to 

^probable,  c 

I  Once  firml 

■ 

«nce,  and 

>rd  have  g 
Pth  a  muske 

not  always 
I  exercise. 

nine,  and 
«n  shot ;  P 

country, 
ic'en." 


irr.  IMS. 


FALCONS  GOOD  ARCTIC  FARE. 


168 


iblanco  to  the  true  one,  ond  find  it  Is  only  separated 
m  the  lonf]^  lake  by  half  a  milo  of  low  land  ;  the  lake  we 
ire  ascertained  to  be  about  12  miles  lon^,  and  from  it 
illevs  extend  eastward  and  southward,  so  that  we  are  sure 
[i  good  sledge-route, — an  important  matter,  as  the  hills 

to  1600  feet  above  the  sea. 
Cape  Bird  is  500  feet  high ;  from  its  summit  we  carefully 

erve  the  ice.     This  granite   coast   presents  a  jagged 
[ppearance ;  it  is  deeply  indented  and  studded  with  islets. 
be  ice  in  the  Western  Sea  (or  PeePs  Strait)  is  much  more 
si^en  up  than  it  was  upon  the  Slst  nltimo;  there  is  no 
bnger  any  fixed  ice  except  within  the  grasp  of  the  islets. 
|ir(ls  and  animals  have  become  very  scarce ;  three  seals 
ire  been  nhut,  and  a  bear  seen.     To-morrow  we  shall  re- 
^rn  to  '>ur  harbor,  and  endeavor  to  procure  a  few  more 
^indee-  oefore  they  migrate  southward. 
12/' .—Yesterday  we  anchored  within  the  entrance  of  j)or 
\tf\,  being  a  more  convenient  position  than  up  at  its  head. 
hw6  already  in  our  wintering  position,  and,  being  with- 
it  occupation,  one  day  seems  most  remarkably  like  an- 
tier  I    Although  the  fondly  cherished  hope  of  pushing 
tber  in  our  ship  can  no  longer  be  entertained,  yet  as  long 
tbe  season  continues  navigable  it  is  our  duty  to  be  in 

iiuess  to  avail  ourselves  of  any  opportunity,  however 
iprobable,  of  being  able  to  do  so. 

I  Once  firmly  frozen  in,  our  autumn  travelling  will  com- 
«nce,  and  afford  welcome  occupation.  Almost  all  on 
bard  have  guns ;  ammunition  is  supplied,  and  a  sailor 
Rth  a  musket  is  a  very  contented  and  zealous  sportsman, 
{not  always  a  successful  one;  it  is  a  powerful  incentive 
•  exercise.  To-day  the  ramblers  saw  only  two  hares,  an 
nine,  and  an  owl.  Some  peregrine  falcons  have  lately 
CD  shot ;  Petersen  declares  they  are  "  the  be^  beef  in 

country,  and  the  young  birds  tender  and  white  at 


s  striking  f*»c'ew." 


'•'••Ml 


m 


164 


PORT  KBNNEDT. 


ClAT 


A  few  days  ago  a  large  cask  of  biscoit  was  Dpened 
a  living  mouse  discovered  therein  I  it  was  small,  but  n 
in  years.  The  cask,  a  strong  watertight  one,  was  packed 
shore  at  Aberdeen,  in  June,  1857,  and  remained  cverii 
wards  unopened :  there  was  no  bole  by  which  the  nn 
could  have  got  in  or  out,  besides  it  is  the  only  one 
seen  on  board.  Ship's  biscuit  is  certainly  dry  fea 
but  who  dares  assert,  after  the  experience  of  oar  n 
that  it  is  not  wonderfully  nutritious  ? 

Ibth. — Two  nights  ago  a  comet  was  observed  jan 
neath  the  constellation  of  the  Great  Bear;    a  seriei 
measurements  were  commenced  for  determining  its  pii 
Yesterday  I  walked  through  the  most  promising  vallejs 
eight  hours,  but  did  not  see  a  living  creature ;  yet  then 
very  fair  show  of  vegetation,  much  more  than  at  Mel 
Island,  where  the  game  is  abundant.     To  the  east  then 
not  a  speck  of  ice,  excepting  only  a  huge  iceberg,  probi 
the  same  we  saw  o£f  Fury  Point,  a  very  unusual  visitor 
Baffin's  Bay,  whence  it  must  have  been  driven  bjthi 
long-continued  east  winds  (of  painful  memory)  in  June 
July. 

Hobson  and  two  men  encamped  out  for  three 
order  to  scour  the  country ;  they  have  only  seen  one 
and  one  lemming  1  Walker  geologizes ;  amongst  oti 
things  he  finds  much  iron  pyrites.  The  dredge  has 
used,  but  with  very  little  success.  The  thermometer 
between  20^  and  30®.  Fresh  water  pools  are  frozen  on 
sea-ice  forms  in  every  sheltered  angle  of  the  creeks. 
is  no  snow  upon  the  land,  and  this  is  one  cause  of  the 
culty  of  finding  game. 

I  have  determined  upon  naming  this  beautiful  little  and 
age  Port  Kennedy,  after  my  predecessor,  the  discoverer 
Bellot  Strait,  of  which  it  is  decidedly  the  port.     This  is  m 
compliment  to  him,  but  an  agreeable  duty  to  me,  and  now 
could  Mr.  Kennedy's  name  be  more  appropriately  offin 


tn.  l*ii' 


FUTURE  SLEDQB  TRAVELING. 


161 


kcB  io  close  proximity  with  his  iDteresting  discorery 
^od  DOW  haying  made  this  acknowledgment,  I  may  yentara 
I  confer  our  little  ycssel's  name  upon  the  islets  which  pro- 

iti  entrance. 

The  island  upon  which  Mr.  Kennedy  and  Lieutenant 
(Hot  encamped  was  Long  Island,  ahout  three  miles  further 
I  the  80uth*ea8t. 

\1th.—0t  late  we  haye  been  preparing  proyisions  and 
DQipments  for  our  trayelling  parties.    My  scheme  of  sledge 

cb  comprehends  three  separate  routes  and  parties  of 
ar  men ;  to  each  party  a  dog-sledge  and  driver  will  be 
icbed ;  Hobson,  Young,  and  I  will  lead  them. 
MjT  journey  will  be  to  the  Great  Fish  Riyer,  examining  the 
ores  of  King  William's  land  in  going  and  returning ;  Pe- 

will  be  with  me. 
I  Hobson  will  explore  the  western  coast  of  Boothia  as  far 
I  the  magnetic  pole,  this  autumn,  I  hope,  and  from  Qates- 

Island  westward  next  spring. 
jYoong  will  trace  the  shore  of  Prince  of  Wales'  Land  from 
eatenant  Browne's   farthest,  to  the  south-westward  to 
^boro's  farthest,  if  possible,  and  also  examine  between 
bar  River  Point  and  Cape  Bird. 
jOor  probable  absence  will  be  sixty  or  seventy  days,  com- 

cing  from  about  the  20th  of  March. 
|In  this  way  I  trust  we  shall  complete  the  Franklin  search 

the  geographical  discovery  of  Arctic  America,  both 

ianfinished  by  the  former  expeditions;  and  in  so  doing 
lean  hardly  fail  to  obtain  some  trace,  some  relic,  or,  it 
ij  be,  important  records  of  those  whose  mysterious  fate 
lis  the  great  object  of  our  labors  to  discover.  But  prc- 
pas  to  setting  forth  upon  these  important  journeys,  I  must 
lUDJcate  with  the  Boothians,  if  possible,  either  npon 

west  or  east  coast,  in  November  or  February.      Sir 
Ross'  'Narrative'  informs  us  that  they  sometimes 

Dter  as  far  north  upon  the  east  coast  as  the  Agnew  River ; 


4;t 


166 


STEAM  THBOUGU  BELLOT  STRAIT.         Cbap.XiH^„,i858. 


and  we  know  that  upon  the  west,  at  the  magnetic  pole,theit| 
abandoned  sngw  huts  were  occupied  in  June  by  Sir  Jamei| 
Ross. 

19th. — Yesterday  we  steamed  once  more  through  Belkxl 
Strait,  and  toolc  up  ouir  former  position  at  the  ice-edgt,! 
off  its  western  entrance  ;  the  ice,  hemmed  in  by  islets,  I 
not  moved. 

From  the  summit  of  Cape  Bird  I  had  a  very  extensiTil 
view  this  morning :  there  is  now  much  water  in  the  oS 
only  separated  from  us  by  the  belt  of  islet-girt  ice  scarceij| 
/our  miles  in  vridth  I     My  conviction  is  that  a  strong 
wind  would  remove  this  remaining  barrier  ;  it  is  not  jett 
late.     The  water  runs  parallel  to  this  coast,  and  is  four 
five  miles  broad ;  beyond  it  there  is  ice,  but  it  appears 
be  all  broken  up. 

Yesterday  Young  went  upon  a  dog-sledge  to  the  nearei 
south-western  island,  distant  7  or  8  miles.  He  reporu 
intervening  ice  cracked  and  weak  in  some  places,  bat  pr 
ticable  for  loaded  sledges ;  the  far  side  of  the  island  i| 
washed  by  a  clear  sea,  and  a  bear  which  he  shot  plnng 
into  it,  and,  drifting  away,  was  lost.  Young  is  in  favon 
carrying  out  the  depot  of  provisions  to  or  beyond  this  isia 
by  boat ;  but  as  the  temperature  fell  to  18^  last  night, 
new  ice  forms  wherever  it  is  calm,  I  prefer  the  safer,  i 
though  more  laborious  mode  of  sledging ;  accordingly  ton 
our  dogs  carried  out  two  sledge-loads  of  the  provisions  ii| 
tended  for  the  use  of  our  parties  hereafter. 

22nd. — All  the  provisions  have  now  been  carried  oatt 
the  nearest  island,  which  I  shall  temporarily  name  Sepiir\ 
Hon*  as  there  our  spring  parties  will  divide ;  and  a 
tion  intended  for  Hobson's  party  and  my  own  has  beem 
ried  on  to  the  next  island  7  or  8  miles  further.    Our 


*  Subaeqaently  named  after  my  ezoellent  friend  A.  Areed«ckne»  1 
Oommodoro  of  the  Royal  London  Taoht  Olab. 


iTclIing  bo( 
lipon  Pemi 
llDimal  Iif( 
liod  three  I 

or  several 
'd  flash 
Itliese  iatitu 

>iQ  Septe 

hot  c 
bis  morn 
15  days'  dii 


i  to  advan 

occessful  V 

The  temj 

Teeable  v 

lice  to  I 

isamed  its 

28(A.— T 

foyage  up 

left  the  wes 

BoIatioD  of 

ble  difficnl 

I  within  n 

amiDg  ai 

fwr,  we  ar 

lilacewill  I 

ended. 

To-day  v 

BDcertain 

*maiD ;  an 

i  a  n 

*y  still  h( 

^  yet  moi 

»P«  ever." 


T.         CBAP.iiH^rr.1858. 


1.  Aroed«ckn^  I 


WINTER  QUARTERS. 


167 


Ldling  boat  and  a  small  reserve  depot  have  beeu  placed 

lopon  Penimican  Kock,  so  already  somethingjias  been  done. 

Lainaal  life  is  very  scarce  ;  a  few  seals,  an  occasional  gull, 

liod  three  brown  falcons,  are  the  only  creatures  we  have  seen 

or  several  days  past.    Last  evening  at  eight  o'clock  a  very 

'  'd  flash  of  lightning  was  observed ;  its  appearance  in 

Ithese  latitudes  is  very  rare ;  once  only  have  I  seen  it  before 

•in  September,  1850. 

25^. — Saturday  night.     Furious  gales  from  N.  and  S. 

but  our  barrier  of  coast-ice  remains  undiminished. 

his  morning  Hobson  set  off  upon  a  journey  of  14  or 

15  days'  duration,  with  seven  men  and  fourteen  dogs ;  ho 

I  to  advance  the  depots  along  shore  to  the  south,  and  if 

occessful  will  reach  latitude  *ll°. 

The  temperature  is  mild  (+11°),  but  it  is  snowy  and  dis- 
reeable  weather ;  there  is  already  enough  snow  upon  the 
ice  to  make  walking  laborious,  and  the  land  has  also 
earned  its  wintry  complexion. 

28^. — The  ship  was  kept  available  for  prosecuting  her 
foyage  up  to  the  latest  hour  ;  it  was  only  yesterday  that  we 
left  the  western  ice,  and  in  consequence  of  the  vast  accu- 
DDlation  of  yong  ice  in  Bellot  Strait  we  have  had  considei- 
ble  difficulty  in  reaching  the  entrance  of  Fort  Kennedy  : 
within  was  so  firmly  frozen  over  that  after  three  hours' 
uning  and  working  we  only  penetrated  100  yards ;  how- 
\^n,  we  are  in  excellent  position,  although  our  wintering 
will  be  farther  out  by  a  quarter  of  a  mile  than  I  in- 
^ixled.  .A.:  ....,     .  ,,  ',  ,^  -t    .. ;.    ;  ,.'. 

To-day  we  are  unbending  sails  and  laying  up  the  engines 
meertainty  no  longer  exists — here  we  are  compelled  to 
touuD ;  and  if  we  have  not  been  as  successful  in  our  voy- 
as  a  month  ago  we  had  good  reason  to  expect,  we 
ay  still  hope  that  fortune  will  smile  upon  our  more  hum- 
^  yet  more  arduous,  pedestrian  explorations — "  Hope  on, 
<>pe  ever.''    In  the  meantime  the  sadden  transition,  from 


■♦*« 


/  «-<J' 


•  -  J'  j 


168 


AETURN  OF  HOBSON. 


Chap.  XL  ■  oct.1858. 


mental  and  physical  wear  and  tear,  to  the  security  and  qaiet 
of  winter  quarters,  is  an  immense  relief. 

2nd  Oct. — M.  Petersen  has  shot  two  very  fine  bucks ;  one 
is  a  magnificent  fellow,  weighing  354  lbs.  (minas  the! 
paunch).  Several  deer  have  been  seen ;  they  come  from 
the  N.  along  the  slopes  of  the  eastern  hills.  An  ermine 
came  on  board  a  few  nights  ago  and  kept  the  dogs  in  a  Tio< 
lent  state  of  excitement,  being  much  too  wary  to  come  out 
from  under  the  boat  to  be  caught  by  them ;  at  length  one 
of  the  men  secured  it.  This  beautiful  little  animal  does 
not  appear  to  be  full  grown ;  its  extreme  length  is  13 
inches.  Two  others  came  off  to  the  ship,  and  to  oar  great 
amusement  eluded  the  men  who  gave  chase,  by  darting  into 
the  soft  snow — which  is  now  a  foot  deep — and  reappearing  | 
several  yards  off. 

The  weather  is  too  mild  to  satisfy  us ;  we  wish  for  severe  I 
frost  to  seal  us  up  securely,  and  make  the  ice  strong  enongli 
to  bear  the  sledge-loads  of  provisions,  etc.,  which  are  to  be| 
landed  for  the  purpose  of  making  more  room  in  the  ship. 

6th. — A  herd  of  a  dozen  reindeer  crossed  the  harbor  to- 1 
day.  Last  night  Hobson  and  his  companions  returned,  all 
well.  They  were  stopped  by  the  sea  washing  against  tiie 
cliffs  in  latitude  71^^,  and  to  that  point  they  have  advanced 
the  depots.  Although  the  weather  has  been  stormy  here,  tbej 
have  been  able  to  travel  every  day.  They  found  the  coast 
still  fringed  with  islets,  and  deeply  indented ;  upon  eveir 
point,  moss-grown  circles  of  stones  indicated  the  abodes  of| 
Esquimaux  in  times  long  since  gone  by. 

One  night  they  muzzled  a  dog,  as  she  was  in  the  habit  of  I 
gnawing  her  harness:  in  this  defenceless  state,  unable  em 
to  bark  and  arouse  the  men,  her  amta&Ze  sisterhood  attaci(cd{ 
her  so  fiercely  that  she  died  next  day. 

In  honor  of  so  important  and  successful  acommencemeDtl 
of  our  travelling,  as  that  accomplished  by  Hobson,  we  bid 
a  feast  of  good  venison,  plum  pudding  and  grog.    It  u 


Oct.  1858. 


OBSERVATORIES  BUILT. 


169 


qaite  eTident  tnat  no  more  travelling  can  be  accomplished 
nntil  the  ice  forms  a  pathway  alongshore ;  in  this,  ns  in 
some  other  respects,  we  anxiously  await  the  advance  of  the 
season.  The  weather  is  mild ;  Bellot  Strait  is  almost 
covered  with  ice,  which  drifts  freely  with  every  tide.  Rein- 
deer are  seen  almost  daily ;  they  too  are  awaiting  the 
freezing  over  of  the  sea  to  continue  their  southern  travels. 
Oar  harbor-ice  is  weak,  and  covered  a  foot  deep  with  & 
filudgy  compound  of  snow  and  water. 

Sth. — Yesterday  an  ermine  was  caught  in  a  trap ;  hither 
to  these  most  active  little  skirmishers  have  successfully  rob- 
bed our  fox-traps  of  their  baits  as  fast  as  they  could  be  re- 
iiewed.  To-day  Petersen  shot  another  reindeer ;  it  weighs 
130  lbs. ;  many  others  were  seen,  also  a  wolf.  Sometimes 
a  few  ptarmigan  are  met  with,  but  hares  very  rarely. 

\2th.  —  Fine  weather  generally  prevails.  We  have 
landed  about  100  casks,  all  our  boats,  and  much  lumber, 
so  we  shall  have  abundance  of  room  on  board.  I  enjoyed 
a  long  and  exhilarating  ramble  upon  snow-shoes  to-day , 
withoat  them  I  could  not  have  gone  over  half  the  distance 
—the  snow  lies  so  deep  and  soft — but  I  only  saw  one  rein- 
deer.   ■  .  .   m 

Uth. — One  of  our  magnetic  observatories  has  been  built ; 
it  stands  upon  the  ice,  210  yards  S.  (magnetic)  from  the 
ship,  and  is  built  of  ice  sawed  into  blocks — there  not  being 
any  suitable  snow  ;  it  is  just  large  enough  to  hold  the  de- 
clinometer for  hourly  observations,  to  be  noted  throughout 
the  winter.  The  housings  have  been  put  over  the  ship 
already,  as  Hobson  will  leave  us  again  in  a  few  days  to  ad- 
vance his  depot  and  my  own  to  the  vicinity  of  the  magnetic 
pole,  if  possible.  I  would  also  send  Toung  npon  a  similar 
duty,  but  the  western  sea  cannot  have  frozen  over  yet. 

19//i..— All  the  ITth  a  N.  W.  gale  blew  with  fearful  vio 
lence ;  yesterday  it  abated,  but  not  sufficiently  to  allow  our 
party  to  start.    This  morning  Hobson  got  away  with  his 


*;'(( 


>r. 


no 


DULL  TIMES. 


Chap.  XI 


nine  men  and  ten  dogs  ;  his  absence  may  be  from  eighteen 
to  twenty  days.  Autumn  travelling  is  most  disagreeable ; 
there  is  so  much  wind  and  snow,  the  latter  being  soft,  deep 
and  often  wet ;  the  sun  is  almost  always  obscured  by  mist, 
and  is  powerless  for  warmth  or  drying  purposes,  and  the 
temperature  is  very  variable.  Moreover  there  are  now  only 
eight  hours  of  misty  daylight.  To-day  the  morning  wai 
fine,  and  temperature  +8^.  Having  completed  tie  pie* 
liminary  observations  of  the  times  of  horizontal  and  vertical 
vibrations,  also  of  the  magnetic  intensity,  I  set  up  to-day 
the  declinometer,  and  commenced  the  hourly  series  of  ob* 
servations  on  the  diurnal  variation.  I  trust  it  may  con- 
tinue unbroken  until  we  all  set  out  upon  our  spring  travels 
in  March.  A  hare  has  been  shot,  but  no  other  animals 
seen. 

29th. — It  generally  blows  a  gale  of  wind  here ;  the  only 
advantage  in  return  for  so  much  discomfort  is  that  the  snow 
is  the  more  quickly  packed  hard.  As  we  have  only  three 
working  men  and  an  Esquimaux  left  on  board  for  ship's  du- 
ties, I  was  assisted  a  few  days  ago  by  the  doctor,  the  en- 
gineer, and  the  interpreter,  in  building  another  observatory, 
intended  for  certain  Aonthly  magnetic  observations.  This 
edifice  is  constructed  of  snow.  Whenever  we  have  a  calin 
night  we  can  hear  the  crushing,  sound  of  the  drift-ice  in  Bel- 
lot  Strait,  which  continues  open  to  within  500  yards  of  the 
Fox  Islands,  and  emits  dark  chilling  clouds  Qf  hateful,  pes- 
tilent, abominable  mist. 

The  last  two  days  have  been  very  fine  and  calm  :  the  men 
visited  their  fox  and  ermine  traps,  which  are  secreted 
amongst  the  rocks  in  a  most  mysterious  manner — one  ermine 
only  has  been  taken.  Seven  or  eight  reindeer,  and  some 
ptarmigan  were  seen  ;  two  of  the  latter  and  a  hare  were 
shot.     We  have  commenced  brewing  sugar  beer. 

2nd  Nov. — Very  dull  times.  No  amount  of  ingenuity 
eonld  make  a  diary  worth  the  paper  it  is  written  on.    An 


KoT.  1858. 


NARROW  ESCAPE. 


171 


occasional  raven  flies  past,  a  conple  more  ptarmigan  have 
been  shot ;  another  N.  W.  gale  is  blowing,  with  tempera- 
ture  down  to  -12^. 

6^1. — Saturday  Night.  The  N.  W.  gale  blew  without 
intermission  for  seventy  hours,  the  temperature  being  about 
.15° :  we  hoped  that  our  absent  shipmates  might  be  boused 
tiafely  in  snow  huts.  This  afternoon  ail  doubts  respecting 
tliem  were  dispelled  by  their  arrival  in  good  health,  but 
they  evidently  have  suffered  from  cold  and  exposure  during 
their  absence  of  nineteen  days.  For  the  first  six  days  they 
journeyed  outward  successfully;  on  that  night  they  en- 
camped upon  the  ice ;  it  was  at  spring-tide  ;  a  N.  E.  gale 
sprang  up,  and  blowing  off  shore  detached  the  ice  and 
drifted  them  off !  The  sea  froze  over  on  the  cessation  of 
the  gale,  and  two  days  afterwards  they  fortunately  regained 
the  land  near  the  position  from  which  they  were  blown  off; 
they  have  indeed  experienced  much  unusual  danger  and 
suflering  from  cold.  '  .      ' 

As  soon  as  they  discovered  that  the  ice  was  drifting  off 
shore  with  them,  they  packed  their  sledges,  harnessed  their 
dogs,  and  passed  the  night  in  anxious  watching  for  some 
chance  to  escape.  When  the  ice  got  a  little  distance  off 
shore,  it  broke  up  under  the  influence  of  the  wind  and  sea, 
until  the  piece  they  were  upon  was  scarce  20  yards  in  di- 
ameter ;  this  drifted  across  the  mouth  of  a  wide  inlet*  until 
brought  up  against  the  opposite  shore.  The  gale  was 
quickly  followed  by  an  intense  frost,  which  in  a  single  night 
formed  ice  sufficiently  strong  to  bear  them  in  safety  to  the 
land,  although  it  bent  fearfully  beneath  their  weight. 

The  depots  were  eventually  established  in  latitude  Yl**; 


^- 


\^' 


'i| 

d 

*  Named  after  Lord  Wrottealej,  in  remembrance  of  the  support  given 
by  hioi  to  the  expedition,  his  advocacy  of  it  in  the  House  of  Lords,  and 
of  the  facilities  granted  me  by  the  Royal  Society — of  which  he  was  Presi* 
doat— for  the  pursuit  of  loientifio  observations. 


c.Ji 


'M 


na 


EFFECT   OF   GALES. 


Chap.  XI 


beyond  this  Lieatenant  Hobson  did  not  attempt  to  advance, 
not  only  because  their  remaining  provisions  would  not  have 
warranted  a  longer  absence,  but  because  the  open  sea  was 
seen  to  beat  against  the  next  headland.  They  have  lived 
in  tents  only,  and  have  not  experienced  the  heavy  gales  so 
frequent  here,  and  which  are  probably  due  mainly  to  onr 
position  in  Bellot  Strait,  which  performs  the  part  of  a  funnel 
for  both  winds  and  tides  between  the  two  seas. 

That  the  western  'sea  should  still  remain  open  argues  a 
vast  space  southward  for  the  escape  of  the  ice,  and  prevents 
our  western  party  from  carrying  across  their  depot :  the 
attempt  to  do  so  would  be  extremely  hazardous.  We  must 
only  be  stirring  earlier  in  the  spring.  I  am  truly  thankful 
%r  the  safe  retam  of  our  travelers — all  this  toil  and  expo- 
sure of  ten  persons  and  ten  dogs  has  only  advanced  the  di'- 
pots  30  miles  further — i.  e.  from  60  to  90  miles  distant  fron 
the  ship. 

Hardly  a  particle  of  snow  remains  npon  the  harbor-ice. 
the  recent  gales  having  swept  it  away ;  and  the  porch  of 
my  snow-hat  has  been  fretted  away  to  a  mere  cob-web  by 
the  attrition  of  the  snow-drift :  the  doctor  and  I  rebuilt  it 
to-day.    Three  reindeer  and  a  wolf  have  been  seen. 


\- 


V«r.  18S8. 


DEATH   OF  OUR   ENGINEER. 


ITS 


CHAPTER   XII. 


Death  of  our  engineer — Scarcity  of  game — The  cold  unusually  trying- 
Jolly,  under  adrerse  oiroumatances — Petersen's  information — Return 
of  the  sun  of  1859 — Early  spring  sledge  parties — Unusual  severity  of 
the  winter — Severe  hardships  of  early  sledging — The  western  shores  of 
Boothia — Meet  the  Esquimaux — Intelligence  of  Franklin's  ships — Re- 
turn to  the  '  Fox' — Allen  Toung  returns. 

Nov.  1th. — Sunday  evening. — Brief  as  is  the  interval 
lince  my  last  entry,  yet  how  awful,  and,  to  one  of  our  small 
company,  bow  fatal  it  has  been  !  Yesterday  Mr.  Brand  was 
Jilt  shooting  as  usual,  and  in  robust  health ;  in  the  evening 
Hobson  sat  with  him  for  a  little  time.  Mr.  Brand  turned 
the  conversation  upon  our  position  and  employments  last 
year;  he  called  to  remembrance  poor  Robert  Scott,  then  in 
sound  health,  and  the  fact  of  his  having  carried  our  "  Guy 
Fawkes"  round  the  ship  on  the  preceding  day  twelvemonth, 
and  added  mournfully,  "  Poor  fellow  1  no  one  knows  whose 
turn  it  may  be  to  go  next."  He  $nished  his  evening  pipe, 
and  shut  his  cabin  door  shortly  after  nine  o^clock.  This 
morning,  at  seven  o'clock,  his  servant  found  him  lying  upon 
the  deck,  a  corpse,  having  been  several  hours  dead.  Apo- 
plexy appears  to  have  been  the  cause.  He  was  a  steady, 
serious  man,  under  forty  years  of  age,  and  leaves  a  widow 
and  three  or  four  children ;  what  their  circumstances  are  I 
am  not  aware. 

10/^. — This  morning,  the  remains  of  Mr.  Brand,  inclosed 
in  a  neat  coffin,  were  buried  in  a  grave  on  shore.  A  suitable 
headboard  and  inscription  will  be  placed  over  it.  From  all 
that  I  have  gathered,  it  appears  that  his  mind  had  been 


::iM 

■m 

'.-■11 


m 


174 


SEVERE  WEATUER. 


Chap.  XT^ 


Bomewhat  gloomy  for  the  last  few  days,  dwelling  much  upon 
poor  Scott's  sudden  death.  Whether  he  really  saw  three 
reindeer  on  Saturday,  watched  their  movements,  and  fired 
his  Minie  rifle  at  them  when  700  yards  distant,  or  whethei 
it  was  the  creation  of  a  disordered  brain,  none  can  tell. 
On  his  first  return  on  board  he  said  he  had  seen  deer  trach 
orW. 

We  are  now  without  either  engineer  or  engine-driver:  we 
have  only  two  stokers,  and  they  know  nothing  about  the 
machinery.  Our  numbers  are  reduced  to  twenty-four,  in- 
eluding  our  interpreter  and  two  Greenland  Esquimaux. 

15^^. — We  have  enjoyed  ten  days  of  moderate  winds  and 
calms,  but  the  temperature  has  fallen  as  low  as  -31°.  This 
causes  frost-cracks  in  the  ice  across  the  harbor ;  they  will 
freeze  over,  and  others  will  form,  and  gape,  and  freeze  at 
intervals,  so  that  by  next  spring  we  shall  probably  be  moved 
several  inches,  perhaps  feet,  ofif  shore. 

Mists  have  obscured  the  sun  of  late,  and  now  it  does  not 
rise  at  all.  We  are  indififerent ;  its  departure  has  become 
to  us  a  matter  of  course.  The  usual  winter  covering  of 
snow  has  been  spread  upon  deck  rather  more  than  a  foot 
thick.  Its  utility  in  preventing  the  escape  of  heat  became 
at  once  strikingly  apparent.  Nothing  has  been  seen  bat  a 
few  ptarmigan  and  one  feindeer,  which  trotted  ofif  towards 
the  ship.  Our  bullets  missed  him,  and  the  dogs  unfortu- 
nately caught  sight  and  chased  him  away.  I  do  not  think 
any  dogs  could  overtake  a  reindeer  in  this  rough  country ; 
the  rocks  would  speedily  lame  them,  and  the  snow,  in  many 
places,  is  quite  deep  enough  to  fatigue  them  greatly,  whereas 
it  offers  but  slight  impediment  to  the  deer,  furnished  as  he 
is  with  long  legs  and  spreading  hoofs. 

29/A. — Animals  have  become  very  scarce.  A  few  ptar- 
migan and  willow-grouse  have  been  seen,  and  three  shot. 
Two  days  ago  I  saw  two  reindeer.  The  eastern  sea  is  frozen 
over,  and  our  old  acquaintance  the  iceberg  in  Prince  Ke 


Dec.  1858. 


COLD  UNUSUALLY  TRYING. 


176 


gent's  Inlet  is  still  visible  on  a  clear  day.  We  brew  sagar- 
bcer,  and  we  set  nets  for  seals,  but  catch  none.  The  nets 
have  been  made  and  set  in  favorable  positions  under  the  ice 
by  the  Greenlanders,  so  we  suppose  the  seals  also  have  mi* 
grated  elsewhere ;  if  so,  the  Esquimaux  could  not  winter 
here.  We  have  no  regular  school  this  winter,  but  five  of 
the  men  study  navigation  every  evening  under  the  guidance 
of  Young.  Hobson  and  I  are  doing  all  we  can  to  make 
the  ship  dry,  warm,  and  comfortable :  our  large  snow  porches 
orer  the  hatchways  are  a  great  improvement. 

bih  Dec. — Cold,  windy  weather,  with  chilling  mists  from 
the  open  water  in  Bellot  Strait.  We  can  seldom  leave  the 
shelter  of  the  ship  for  a  walk  on  shore,  and,  when  we  do, 
rarely  see  even  a  ptarmigan. 

I2lh. — Very  cold  weather:  thermometer  down  to  -41®, 
dud  the  breeze  comes  to  us  loaded  with  mist  from  the  open 
water,  causing  the  air  to  feel  colder  than  it  otherwise  would. 
Bellot  Strait  has  become  a  nuisance,  not  only  from  this 
cause,  but  from  the  strong  winds — purely  local — which  sel- 
dom cease  to  blow  through  it. 

The  seal  nets  have  produced  nothing ;  and  as  there  are 
no  seals,  we  no  longer  wonder  at  not  seeing  bears.  Three 
foxes  have  been  trapped  and  a  hare  seen.  Our  canine  force 
nambers  twenty-four  serviceable  dogs  and  six  puppies ;  but 
these,  I  fear,  will  not  be  strong  enough  for  sledging  by 
March.  The  monotony  of  our  lives  is  vastly  increased  by 
want  of  occupation,  and  confinement,  by  severe  gales,  to  the 
ship  for  five  d<«ys  out  of  every  seven.  The  general  health 
is  good,  but  therr  is  a  natural  craving  for  fresh  meat  and 
fresh  vegetables-  in  a  great  measure,  perhaps,  because  they 
cannot  be  obtai':.:«d ;  but  a  well-filled  letter-bag  would  be 
more  welcome  th^n  anything  I  know  of.    > 

26</i. — Upon  fjur  days  only  during  the  last  fourteen  has 
the  weather  pen  litted  us  to  walk.  I  allude  to  the  wind  as 
Uie  obstacle  to  c  jr  exercise ;  for  temperature,  when  the  air 


ii 


176 


NEW-YEAR'S  DAY. 


Chap.  XII 


is  Still,  is  no  bar  to  any  reasonable  amount  of  it.  Three  or 
four  coveys  of  ptarmigan  have  been  seen,  and  of  these  I 
shot  one  brace.  The  cold  increases :  thermometer  has  fallen 
to  -i1i°,  although  blowing  a  moderate  gule  at  the  time, 
and  the  atmosphere  dense  with  mist. 

Our  Christmas  has  been  spent  with  a  degree  of  loyally 
to  the  good  old  English  custom  at  once  spirited  and  refretib> 
ing.  All  the  good  things  which  could  possibly  be  collected 
together  appeared  upon  the  snow-white  deal  tables  of  the 
men,  as  the  officers  and  myself  walked  (by  invitation)  round 
the  lower  deck.  Venison,  beer,  and  a  fresh  stock  of  clay 
pipes,  appeared  to  be  the  most  prized  luxuries ;  but  the 
variety  and  abundance  of  the  eatables,  tastefully  laid  out, 
was  such  as  might  well  support  the  delusion  which  all 
seemed  desirous  of  imposing  upon  themselves — that  tbey 
were  in  a  land  of  plenty — in  fact,  all  but  at  home !  Wc 
contributed  a  large  cheese  and  some  preserves,  and  candles 
superseded  the  ordinary  smoky  lamps.  With  so  many  com- 
forts, and  the  existence  of  so  much  genuine  good  feeling, 
their  evening  was  a  joyous  one,  enlivened  also  by  songs  and 
music.  •  ' 

Whilst  all  was  order  and  merriment  within  the  ship,  the 
scene  without  was  widely  different.  A  fierce  northwester 
howled  loudly  through  the  rigging,  the  snow-drift  rustled 
swiftly  past,  no  star  appeared  through  the  oppressive  gloom, 
and  the  thermometer  varied  between  T6°  and  80°  below  the 
freezing-point.  At  one  time  it  was  impossible  to  visit  the 
magnetic  observatory,  although  only  210  yards  distant,  and 
with  a  rope  stretched  along,  breast-high,  upon  poles  the 
whole  way.  The  officers  discharged  this  duty  for  the 
quartermasters  of  the  watches  during  the  day  and  night. 

1st  Jan.  1859. — This  being  Saturday  night  as  well  as 
New  Yearns  Day,  "  Sweethearts  and  Wives"  were  remem- 
bered with  even  more  than  the  ordinary  feeling.  New 
year's  eve  was  celebrated  with  all  the  joyfulness  which 


Jav.  1859. 


INTENSE   COLD. 


171 


ardent  hope  can  inspire :  and  we  have  reasonable  ground 
for  strong  hope.  At  midnight  the  expiration  of  the  old 
jear  and  comraencement  of  the  new  one  was  announced  to 
me  by  the  band — flutes,  accordion,  and  gong — striking  up 
at  my  door.  Some  songs  were  sung,  and  the  performance 
concluded  with  "  God  save  the  Queen ;"  the  few  who  could 
find  space  in  our  mess-room  sang  the  chorus;  but  this  by  no 
means  satisfied  all  the  others  who  were  without  and  unable 
to  show  themselves  to  the  officers,  so  they  echoed  the 
chorus,  and  the  effect  was  very  pleasing.  Our  new  year's 
day  has  been  commemorated  with  all  the  Bubstantials  of 
Christmas  fare,  but  without  so  much  display, — less  tailoring 
in  pastry,  not  quite  so  much  clipping  of  dough  into  roses, 
and  anchors,  and  nondescript  animals,  &c.,  &c.  The  past 
week  has  beea  cold  and  stormy ;  it  now  blows  strong,  and 
the  temperature  is  -44^. 

On  the  29th  a  few  fresh  tracks  of  animals  and  a  ptarmi- 
gan were  seen  :  yesterday  I  saw  three  ptarmigan.  Decem- 
ber proved  to  be  an  unusually  cold  month,  its  mean  tempe- 
rature being  -33°  ;  and  it  was  rendered  more  than  ordina-^ 
rily  dark  and  gloomy  by  continual  mists  from  Bellot  Strait. 
This  open  water  adds  seriously  to  the  drawbacks  of  a  spot 
already  sufficiently  cheerless,  gameless,  and  "wind-loved.'^ 

Uh: — Another  week  of  uniform  temperature  of  -40°,  and 
confinement  to  the  ship  by  strong  winds ;  the  atmosphere 
is  loaded  with  enveloping  mists  which  impart  a  raw  and 
sarprisingly  keen  edge  to  the  chilling  blasts,  blasts  that  no 
human  nose  can  endure  without  blanching,  be  its  propor- 
tions what  they  may.  It  is  wonderful  how  the  dogs  stand 
it,  and  without  apparent  inconvenience,  unless  their  fur 
happens  to  be  thin.  They  lie  upon  the  snow  under  the  lee 
of  the  ship,  with  no  other  protection  from  the  weather. 

To-day,  the  winds  being  light  and  temperature  up  to 
•^0°,  we  enjoyed  walks  on  sborCi  although  the  mist  coo" 
12 


•  I 
i -is 


^1 


\m 


k 


.*'i 


MS 


PETERSEN'S   INFORMATION'. 


in    x:i 


tinuod  so  dense  as  to  limit  our  view  to  a  couple  uf  liuiulrd 
yards. 

I  learn  from  Petersen  that  the  natives  of  Smith's  Sound 
are  well  acquainted  with  the  continuation  of  its  shores  con> 
sidcrably  beyond  the  farthest  point  reached  by  Kanc'i 
exploring  parties,  but  unfortunately  no  one  thought  of 
getting  them  to  delineate  their  local  knowledge  upon  paper. 
They  spoke  much  of  a  large  island  near  the  west  coast 
called  "  Umingnak"  (mask  ox)  Island,  where  there  was  much 
open  water,  abounding  with  walrus,  and  where  some  of 
their  people  formerly  lived.* 

Esquimaux  exist  upon  the  east  coast  of  Greenland  as  for 
north  as  lat.  76°;  how  much  farther  north  is  not  known. 
They  are  separated  from  the  South  Grecnlanders  by  bun- 
dreds  of  miles  of  ice-bound  coasts  and  impassable  glaciers. 

Many  centuries  ago  a  milder  climate  may  and  probably 
did  exist,  and  a  corresponding  modification  of  glacier  and 
a  sea  less  ice-encumbered  might  have  rendered  the  migra. 
tion  of  these  poor  people  from  the  south  to  their  present 
isolated  abodes  practicable;  but  to  me  it  appears  much 
'more  easy  to  suppose  that  they  migrated  eastward  from  tLe 
northern  outlet  of  Smith's  Sound. 

3l6^ — More  pleasant  weather  since  my  last  entry;  and 
although  last  night  the  temperature  fell  to  -47°,  yet  it  has 
generally  been  mild ;  once  it  rose  to  -14°,  but  amply  mado 
amends  by  falling  to  -38°  within  twelve  hours.  We  have 
enjoyed  much  of  the  moon's  presence  for  the  last  ten  days, 
but  now  she  is  waning  and  hastening  away  to  the  south. 
Daylight  increases  in  strength  and  duration,  consequently 
we  walk  more,  and  see  more,  and  the  winter's  g^oom  gives 
place  to  activity  and  cheerfulness.  Several  ptarmigan, 
three  or  four  hares,  a  snowy  owl,  and  a  bear-track,  have  at 


*  Petersen  convened  wi|^  twr  men  who  had  themselTes  been  up  t( 
Umingmak  Island. 


Fil.  185V. 


EARLY  SPRING  8LEDQE  PARTIES. 


n» 


rarious  times  been  seen.  Young  h^i  shot  four  ptarmigan, 
tnd  I  l>av6  shot  a  couple  more  tine)  a  hnrx\  and  the  men 
have  trapped  two  foxes. 

On  board  the  ship  the  preparations  for  travelling  tako 
precedence  of  all  other  occupations. 

26^A. — Part  of  the  sun's  disc  loomed  above  the  horizon 
tO'day,  somewhat  swollen  and  disfigured  by  the  misty  atmo- 
iphere,  but  looking  benevolenrt  withal.  I  happened  to  be 
diligently  traversing  the  rocky  hill-sides  in  the  hope  of 
finding  some  solitary  hare  dozing  in  fancied  security,  when 
the  san  thus  appeared  in  view,  and  halted  to  feast  my  eyes 
npon  the  glorious  sight,  and  scan  the  features  of  our  return- 
ing friend.  Hope  and  promise  mingled  in  his  bright  beams. 
Again  I  moved  upward,  and  with  more  elastic  step ;  for 
nov  the  sun  of  1 859  was  shining  upon  all  nature  around 
ice. 

2n(2  February. — A  lovely,  calm,  bright  day,  and  beauti- 
fally  clear,  except  over  the  waterspace  in  Bellot  Strait, 
where  rests  a  densely  black  mist,  very  strongly  resembling 
I  the  West  Indian  rain-squall  as  it  looms  upon  the  distant 
I  iiorizon.  The  increasing  sunlight  is  cheering,  but  void  of 
heat,  and  the  mercury  is  often  frozen.  A  few  more  ptar- 
I  migan  have  been  shot. 

Onr  remaining  serviceable  dogs,  twenty-two  in  number, 
I  have  been  divided  with  great  care  into  three  teams  of  seven 
eacb;  the  odd  dog  is  added  to  my  team,  as  my  journey  is 
{expected  to  be  the  longest.  The  different  sledge-parties 
I  will  now  feed  up  their  dogs  without  limit,  so  that  the  utmost 
I  degree  of  work  may  be  got  out  of  them  hereafter. 

January  has  been  slightly  colder  than  December,  mean 
I  temperature  being  -33j^°,  but  there  has  been  rather  less 
I  wind. 

8/A.— All  will  be  ready  for  the  departure  of  Young  and 
I  myself  upon  our  respective  journeys  upon  the  morning  of 

♦ieUth. 


1        ; 


•:<  :::ii 


■in 


180 


ATTACK  OP  SCURVY. 


Chap.  XII 


Mr.  Petersen  and  Alexander  Thompson  accompany  me 
with  two  dog-sledges,  and  fifteen  dogs,  dragging  twcntv- 
foul  days'  provisions.  My  object  is  to  communicate  wiili 
the  Boothians  in  the  vicinity  of  the  magnetic  pole.  Young 
takes  his  party  of  four  men  and  his  dog-sledge ;  he  will 
carry  forward  provisions  for  his  spring  exploration  of  the 
shores  of  Prince  of  Wales*  Land,  between  the  extreme 
points  reached  by  Lieutenants  Osborn  and  Brown  in  1851. 

On  the  3d  I  walked  for  seven  and  a  half  hours,  and  saw 
two  reindeer,  t)ut  could  not  approach  within  shot.  Young 
examined  the  water-space  in  the  strait,  and  finds  it  washes 
both  shores,  but  extends  east  and  west  only  about  one  mile. 
The  Doctor  has  seen  a  seal  and  a  dovekie  sporting  in  it. 

For  the  last  four  days  strong  winds  and  intense  cold  have 
prevented  us  from  rambling  over  the  hills,  besides  which  the 
minor  preparations  for  travelling  have  given  us  more  occu- 
pation on  board. 

James  Pitcher  has  got  a  slight  touch  of  scurvy;  hij 
gums  are  inflamed  ;  and  now  it  comes  out  that  he  dislikes  | 
preserved  meats,  and  has  not  eaten  any  since  he  has  been 
in  the  ship !     He  has  lived  upon  salt  meat  and  preserved 
vegetables,  except  for  the  very  short  periods  in  summer 
when  birds  could  be  obtained.     He  is  rather  a  "  used  up" ' 
old  fellow,  too  much  so  for  our  severe  sledge-work,  there- 
fore is  one  of  the  few  who  will  remain  to  take  care  of  the  | 
ship.    That  he  should  have  retained  his  health  for  seventeen 
months,  under  the  circumstances,  speaks  well  for  the  whole- 
someness  and  quality  of  our  provisions,  and  the  ventilation  | 
and  cleanliness  of  the  ship. 

10/^. — Extremely  cold,  with  dense  mists  from  the  open  I 
water.     Yesterday  eight  ptarmigan  and  a  sooty  fox  were  | 
seen.     We  have  consumed  the  last  of  our  venison  ;  it  sup- 
plied us  for  three  days.     We  are  drinking  out  a  cask  of 
sngar-beer,  which  is  a  very  mild  but  agreeable  beverage;  | 
we  make  it  on  board. 


tit.  1859. 


JOURNEY  TO  CAPE  VICTORIA. 


18i 


Sunday  nigJit,  13th. — To-morrow  evening,  if  fine,  Young 
and  I  set  off  upon  our  travels.  He  has  advanced  a  portion 
of  his  sledge-load  to  the  west  side  of  the  water  in  Bellot 
Strait,  having  been  obliged  to  carry  it  overland  for  about  a 
mile  in  order  to  get  there.  I  have  explored  the  route  to 
the  long  lake,  and  find  we  can  reach  it  without  crossing 
elevated  or  uncovered  land.  I  saw  two  reindeer,  and  Toung 
saw  about  twenty  ptarmigan. 

The  mean  temperature  of  February  up  to  this  datejs 
-SS^*^,  being  an  exact  continuation  of  January.  I  confess 
to  some  anxiety  upon  this  point,  as  hitherto  the  winter  has 
been  unusually  severe,  and  the  journeys  to  be  performed  will 
occupy  more  than  twenty  days.  Besides,  we  shall  be  earlier 
in  motion  than  any  of  the  previous  travellers,  unless  we  are 
to  make  an  exception  in  favor  of  Mr.  Kennedy's  trip  of  30 
miles  from  Batty  Bay  to  Fury  Beach,  between  the  6th  and 
10th  of  January,  during  which  time  the  lowest  temperature 
registered  was  only  -25°.  Should  either  Young  or  myself 
remain  absent  beyond  the  period  for  which  we  carry  provi- 
sions, Hobson  is  to  send  a  party  in  search  of  us.  A  sooty 
fox  has  been  captured  lately. 

15/^. — A  strong  N.  W.  wind,  with  a  temperature  of -40°, 
confines  us  on  board.  One  cannot  face  these  winds,  there- 
fore it  is  fortunate  that  we  did  not  start,  the  ship  being 
much  more  comfortable  than  a  snow-hut. 

^F  ^^  ^^  ^n  ^r  ^P 

20th  March. — Already  I  have  been  a  week  on  board,  and 
80  difficult  is  it  to  settle  down  to  anything  like  sedentary 
occupation,  after  a  period  of  continued  vigorous  action,  that 
even  now  I  can  scarcely  sit  still  to  scribble  a  brief  outline 
of  ray  trip  to  Cape  Victoria. 

On  the  morning  of  the  Hth  February  the  weather  mod- 
erated sufficiently  for  us  to  set  out ;  the  temperature 
throughout  the  day  varied  between  -31°  and  -42^°.  Leav- 
ing Young's  party  to  pass  on  through  the  strait,  I  pro* 


%*^ 


* 


i-;^! 


M 


If',!! 


■;J!I, 


m 


182 


TRAVELLIN<}  ROUTINE. 


Chap.  XII. 


ceeded  by  way  of  the  Long  Lake,  which  I  found  to  be  lOi 
geographical  miles  in  length,  with  an  average  vridth  of  half 
ft  mile. 

We  built  our  snow-hut  upon  the  west  coast,  near  Pern- 
mican  Bock,  after  a  march  of  19  or  20  geographical  miles. 
We  always  speak  of  geographical  miles  with  reference  to 
our  marches ;  six  geographical  are  equal  to  seven  English 
miles. 

On  the  following  day  the  old  N.  W.  wind  sprang  up  with 
renewed  vigor,  and  the  thermometer  fell  to  -48°;  the  cold 
was  therefore  intense. 

On  the  third  day  our  dogs  went  lame  in  consequence  of 
sore  fbet ;  the  intense  cold  seems  to  be  the  principal,  if  not 
the  only  cause,  having  hardened  the  surface-snow  beyond 
what  their  feet  can  endure.  I  was  obliged  to  throw  off  a 
part  of  the  provisions ;  still  we  could  not  make  more  than 
12  or  18  miles  daily.  We  of  course  walked,  so  that  the 
dogs  had  only  the  remaining  provisions  and  clothing  to 
drag,  yet  several  of  them  repeatedly  fell  down  in  fits. 

For  several  days  this  severe  weather  continued,  the  mer- 
cury of  my  artificial  horizon  remaining  frozen  (its  freezing 
point  is  -39^) ;  and  our  rum,  at  first  thick  like  treacle, 
required  thawing  latterly,  when  the  more  fluid  and  stronger 
part  had  been  used.  We  travelled  each  day  until  dusk, 
and  then  were  occupied  for  a  couple  of  hours  in  building 
our  snow-hut.  The  four  walls  were  run  up  until  5 1  feet 
high,  inclining  inwards  as  much  as  possible ;  over  these  oar 
tent  was  laid  to  form  a  roof;  we  could  not  afford  the  time 
necessary  to  construct  a  dome  of  snow. 

Our  equipment  consisted  of  a  very  small  brown-holland 
tent,  mackintosh  floorcloth,  and  felt  robes;  besides  this, 
each  man  had  a  bag  of  double  blanketing,  and  a  pair  of  fur 
boots,  to  sleep  in.  We  wore  mocassins  over  the  pieces  of 
blanket  in  which  our  feet  were  wrapped  up,  and,  with  the 
exception  of  a  change  of  this  foot-gear,  carried  no  spare 


Hab.  18&8. 


TRAVELLING   ROUTINE. 


183 


clothes.  The  daily  routine  was  as  follows  : — I  led  the  way ; 
Petersen  and  Thompson  followed,  conducting  their  sledges ; 
and  in  this  manner  we  trudged  on  for  eight  or  ten  hours 
ffiihoat  halting,  except  when  necessary  to  disentangle  the 
dog-harness  When  we  halted  for  the  night,  Thompson 
and  I  usually  sawed  out  the  blocks  of  compact  snow  and 
carried  them  to  Petersen,  who  acted  as  the  master-mason 
io  bailding  the  snow-hut :  the  hour  and  a  half  or  two 
hoars  usually  employed  in  erecting  the  edifice  was  the  most 
disagreeable  of  the  day's  labor,  for,  in  addition  to  being 
already  well  tired  and  desiring  repose,  we  became  thor- 
oQgbly  chilled  whilst  standing  about.  When  the  hut  was 
finished,  the  dogs  were  fed,  and  here  the  great  difficulty 
was  to  insure  the  weaker  ones  their  full  share  in  the 
scramble  for  supper ;  then  commenced  the  operation  of  un- 
packing the  sledge,  and  carrying  into  our  hut  everything 
oecessary  for  ourselves,  such  as  provision  and  sleeping- 
pr,  as  well  as  all  boots,  fur  mittens,  and  even  the  sledge 
dog-harness  to  prevent  the  dogs  from  eating  them  during 
oor  sleeping  hours.  The  door  was  now  blocked  up  with 
SDOw,  the  cooking  lamp  lighted,  foot-gear  changed,  diary 
Tritten  up,  watches  wound,  sleeping  bags  wriggled  into, 
pipes  lighted,  and  the  merits  of  the  various  dogs  discussed, 
Qntii  sapper  was  ready ;  the  supper  swallowed,  the  upper 
robe  or  coverlet  was  pulled  over,  and  then  to  sleep. 

Next  morning  came  breakfast,  a  struggle  to  get  into 
frozen  mocassins,  after  which  the  sledges  were  packed,  and 
another  day's  march  commenced. 

In  these  little  huts  we  usually  slept  warm  enough,  although 
latterly,  when  our  blankets  and  clothes  became  loaded  with 
ice,  we  felt  the  cold  severely.  When  our  low  doorway  was 
carefolly  blocked  up  with  snow,  and  the  cooking-lamp 
alight,  the  temperature  quickly  rose  so  that  the  walls  be- 
came glazed,  and  our  bedding  thawed;  but  the  cooking 
^Ter,  or  the  doorway  partially  opened,  it  as  quickly  fell 


4 


184 


WESTERN  SHORES  OF  BOOTHIA. 


Chap.  XIL 


again,  so  that  it  was  impossible  to  sleep,  or  even  to  hold 
one's  pannikin  of  tea,  without  patting  oar  mitts  on,  so  in. 
tense  was  the  cold  1 

On  the  21st  I  Tisited  oar  main  depot  laid  oat  last  Oe- 
tober ;  it  was  safe,  bat  unfortanately  had  been  carried  far 
into  Wrottesley  Inlet,  and  only  40  miles  south  of  Bcllot  | 
Strait. 

On  the  22d  an  easterly  gale  prevented  our  marching,  but  | 
we  had  the  good  fortune  to  shoot  a  bear,  so  consoled  our- 
selves with  fresh  steaks,  and  the  dogs  with  an  ample  feed 
of  unfrozen  flesh — a  treat  they  had  not  enjoyed  for  many  | 
months. 

We  coasted  along  a  granitic  land,  deeply  indented  and  | 
fringed  with  islands,  and  found  it  to  be  the  general  charac- 
teristic of  the  Boothian  shore  from  Bellot  Strait,  until  we  | 
had  accomplished  half  the  distance  to  the  magnetic  pole; 
limestone  then  appeared,  and  the  remainder  of  our  jourDejl 
was  performed  along  a  low,  straight  shore,  which  afforded  | 
us  much  greater  facility  for  sledging. 

Throughout  the  whole  distance  we  found  a  mixture  oil 
heavy  old  ice  and  light  ice  of  last  autumn,  in  many  places 
squeezed  up  into  pack ;  but  as  we  advanced  southward  agedj 
floes  were  less  frequently  seen. 

On  the  first  of  March  we  halted  to  encamp  at  about  the  pos 
tion  of  the  magnetic  pole — for  no  cairn  remains  to  mark  the  I 
spot.  I  had  almost  concluded  that  my  journey  would  prove  to  | 
be  a  work  of  labor  in  vain,  because  hitherto  no  traces  of  Es- 
quimaux had  been  met  with,  and  in  consequence  of  tbel 
reduced  state  of  our  provisions  and  the  wretched  condition 
of  the  poor  dogs — six  out  of  the  fifteen  being  quite  useless | 
— T  could  only  advance  one  more  march. 

But  we  had  done  nothing  more  than  look  ahead;  when  I 
we  halted,  and  turned  round,  great  indeed  was  my  surprise 
and  joy  to  see  four  men  walking  after  us.     Petersen  and! 
immediately  buckled  on  our  revolvers  and  advanced  to  meet 


Chap.XIlH    4!An.l85«.         INFORMATION  FROM  ESQUIMAUX. 


185 


even  to  hoW 
tts  on,  so  in- 

out  last  Oc. 
n  carried  faf 

X\i  of  Bcllot  1 

larching,  bul 
onsoled  onr-j 
1  ample  feed 
yed  for  many  ] 

indented  and| 
ineral  charac- 
rait,  until  we  I 
agnetic  pole ; 
f  our  journey 
hich  afforded 

a  mixture  ot 
1  many  places 
ath  ward  aged 

bouttheposil 
s  to  mark  the  I 
rould  prove  to 
.  traces  ofEs- 
uence  of  the 
bed  condition! 
quite  uselesJ 

ahead;  when 
IS  my  surprise  I 
'etersen  and  II 
anced  to  meet 


them.  The  natives  halted,  made  fast  their  dogs,  laid  down 
their  spears,  and  received  us  without  any  evidence  of  sur- 
prise. They  told  us  they  had  ,been  out  upon  a  seal  hunt 
on  the  ice,  and  were  returning  home :  we  proposed  to  joiu 
them,  and  all  were  soon  in  motion  again  ;  but  another  hour 
brought  sunset,  and  we  learned  that  their  snow  village  of 
eight  huts  was  still  a  long  way  off,  go  we  hired  them,  at  the 
rate  of  a  needle  for  each  Esquimax,  to  build  us  a  hut,  which 
they  completed  in  an  hour ;  it  was  8  feet  in  diameter,  5^ 
feet  high,  and  in  it  we  all  passed  the  night.  Perhaps  the 
records  of  architecture  do  not  furnish  another  instance  of 
a  dwelling-house  so  cheaply  constructed  I 

We  gave  them  to  understand  that  we  were  anxious  to 
barter  with  them,  and  very  cautiously  approached  the  real 
object  of  our  visit.  A  naval  button  upon  one  of  theii 
dresses  afforded  the  opportunity ;  it  came,  they  said,  from 
some  white  people  who  were  starved  upon  an  island  where 
there  are  salmon  (that  is,  in  a  river) ;  and  that  the  iron  of 
which  their  knives  were  made  came  from  the  same  place. 
One  of  these  men  said  he  had  been  to  the  island  to  obtain 
wood  and  iron,  but  none  of  them  had  seen  the  white  men. 
Another  man  had  been  to  "Ei-wil-lik"  (Kepulse  Bay),  and 
counted  on  his  fingers  seven  individuals  of  Rac's  party  whom 
he  remembered  having  seen.  , 

These  Esquimaux  had  nothing  to  eat,  and  no  other  clothing 
than  their  ordinary  double  dresses  of  fur ;  they  would  not 
eat  our  biscuit  or  salt  pork,  but  took  a  small  quantity  of 
bear's  blubber  and  some  water.  They  slept  in  a  sitting 
posture,  with  their  heads  leaning  forward  on  their  breasts. 
Next  morning  we  traveled  about  10  miles  further,  by  which 
time  we  were  close  to  Cape  Victoria ;  beyond  this  I  would 
not  go,  much  as  they  wished  to  lead  us  on ;  we  therefore 
landed,  and  they  built  us  a  commodious  snow  hut  in  half  on 
hour ;  this  done,  we  displayed  to  them  our  articles  for  barter 
—knives,  files,  needles,  scissors,  beads,  etc. — expressed  our 


186 


BARTER  WITH  NATIVES. 


«>HAP.  XIL  ■lit.  1859. 


desire  to  trade  with  tliem,  and  promised  to  purchase  everr 
thing  which  belonged  to  the  starved  white  men,  if  ther 
would  come  to  us  on  the  morrow.  Notwithstanding  that 
the  weather  was  now  stormy  and  bitterly  cold,  two  of  the 
natives  stripped  o£f  their  outer  coats  of  reindeer  skin  and 
bartered  them  for  a  knife  each. 

Despite  the  gale  which  howled  outside,  we  spent  a  com- 
fortable night  in  our  roomy  hut. 

Next  morning  the   entire  village   population    arrived, 
amounting  to  about  forty-five  souls,  from  aged  people  to  in- 
fants in  arms,  and  bartering  commenced  very  briskly.    First  | 
of  all  we  purchased  all  the  relics  of  the  lost  expedition,  con- 
sisting of  six  silver  spoons  and  forks,  a  silver  medal,  the  j 
property  of  Mr.  A.  M'Donald,  assistant  surgeon,  part  of  a  | 
gold  chain,  several  buttons,  and  knives  made  of  the  iron  and 
wood  of  the  wreck,  also  bows  and  arrows  constructed  of 
materials  obtained  from  the  same  sourdb.     Having  secnreii 
these,  we  purchased  a  few  frozen  salmon,  some  seals'  blub- 
ber and  venison,  but  could  not  prevail  upon  them  to  part  | 
with  more  than  one  of  their  fine  dogs.     One  of  their  sledges 
was  made  of  two  stout  pieces  of  wood,  which  might  have 
been  a  boat's  keel. 

All  the  old  people  recollected  the  visit  of  the  '  Victory.' 
An  old  man  told  me  his  name  was  "  Ooblooria :"  I  recollect- 
ed that  Sir  James  Ross  had  employed  a  mnn  of  that  nftmel 
as  a  guide,  and  reminded  him  of  it ;  he  was,  in  fact,  the 
same  individual,  and  he  inquired  after  Sir  James  by  his 
Esquimaux  name  of  "Agglugga." 

I  inquired  after  the  man  who  was  furnished  with  a  wooden 
leg  by  the  carpenter  of  the  *  Victory  :'  no  direct  an:,  .rcr  was 
given,  but  his  daughter  was  pointed  out  to  me.  Petersen 
explained  to  me  that  they  do  not  like  alluding  in  any  way  to 
the  dead,  and  that,  as  my  question  was  not  answered,  it  was 
certain  the  man  was  no  longer  amongst  the  living. 

None  of  these  people  had  seen  the  whites  ;  one  man  said 


*7map.X1i  Hlii.l8&9.  RAE'S  STATEMENT  CONFIRMED. 


181 


rchase  every 
men,  if  thej 
tanding  that 
1,  two  of  the 
eer  skin  and 

spent  a  con- 
ion  arrived, 
people  to  in- 
riskly.  First 
3edition,  con- 
;r  medal,  the  j 
on,  part  of  a 
'  the  iron  and 
instructed  of 
ving  secured 
}  seals'  blub- 
them  to  part  j 
their  sledges 
might  have 

he  'Victory." 
:"  I  recoiled- 
of  that  name  I 
!,  in  fact,  the 
(fames  by  his 

►ith  a  wooden 
!t  8T',  >~cTwas 
le.  Petersen 
in  any  way  to 
wered,  it  was 
ing. 
one  man  said 


hebad  seen  their  bones  upon  the  island  where  they  died,  bat 
lioine  were  buried.  Petersen  also  understood  him  to  say 
Itbat  the  boat  was  crushed  by  the  ice.  Almost  all  of  them 
had  part  of  the  plunder  ;  they  say  they  will  be  here  when 
Ire  retarn,  and  will  trade  more  with  us ;  also  that  we  shall 
knd  natives  upon  Montreal  Island  at  the  time  of  our  arriving 
Ithere. 

Next  morning,  4th  March,  several   natives  came  to  us 
it^JQ.    I  bought  a  spear  6^  feet  long  from  a  man  who  told 
IPetersen  distinctly  that  a  ship  having  three  masts  had  been 
Itrashed  by  the  ice  out  in  the  sea  to  the  west  of  King  Wil- 
biam's  Island,  but  that  all  the  people  landed  safely ;  he  was 
lot  one  of  those  who  were  eye  witnesses  of  it ;  the  ship 
Lk,  so  nothing  was  obtained  by  the  natives  from  her  ;  all 
{(liat  they  have  got,  he  said,  came  from  the  island  in  the 
m.    The  spear  stafif  appears  to  have  been  part  of  the 
unwale  of  a  light  boat.     One  old  man,  "  Oo-na-lee,"  made 
rough  sketch  of  the  coast-line  with  his  spear  upon  the 
DOW,  and  said  it  was  eight  journeys  to  where  the  ship  sank, 
ointing  in  the  direction  of  Cape  Felix.     I  can  make  noth- 
ing out  of  his  rude  chart. 

The  information  we  obtained  bears  out  the  principal 
Statements  of  Dr.  Rae,  and  also  accounts  for  the  disappear 
finee  of  one  of  the  ships ;  but  it  gives  no  clue  to  the  where- 
^boute  of  the  other,  nor  the  direction  whence  the  ships  came. 
)ne  thing  is  tolerably  certain — the  crews  did  not  at  any 
jtime  land  upon  the  Boothian  shor^. 
These  Esquimaux  were  all  well  clothed  in  reindeer 
Presses,  and  looked  clean ;  they  appeared  to  have  abim- 
flance  of  provisions,  but  scarcely  a  scrap  of  wood  was  seen 
Wongst  them  which  had  not  come  from  the  lost  expedition. 
Their  sledges,  with  the  exception  of  the  one  already  spoken 
|>f,  were  wretched  little  affairs,  consisting  of  two  frozen  rolls 
pf  seal-skins  coated  with  ice,  and  attached  to  each  other  by 
<)Qes,  wbicn  served  as  the  crossbars.     The  men  were  stout, 


t  '  I; 


I  ■ 'I  m 


.':^-^-5^  m 


■i;i/v 


ft 

.re,T 


■lit; 


188 


RETURN  TO  THE  *  FOX/ 


Cnip 


hearty  fellows,  and  the  women  arrant  thieves,  but  all  wti 
good-humored  and  friendly.  The  women  were  decide 
plain ;  in  fact,  this  term  would  hare  been  flattering  to  mo 
of  them ;  yet  there  was  a  degree  of  yivaeity  and  gentleoa 
in  the  manners  of  some  that  soon  reconciled  us  to  the 
Arctic  specimens  of  the  fair  sex.  They  had  fine  eyes  i^ 
teeth,  as  well  as  very  small  hands,  and  the  young  girls ! 
a  fresh  rosy  hue  not  often  seen  in  combination  with  olij 
complexions. 

Esquimaux  mothers  carry  their  infants  on  their  bacj 
within  their  large  fur  dresses,  and  where  the  babes  can  onj 
be  got  at  by  pulling  them  out  over  the  shoulder.  Whilj 
intent  upon  my  bargaining  for  silver  spoons  and  forks 
longing  to  Franklin's  expedition,  at  the  rate  of  a  fevne 
dies  or  a  knife  for  each  relic,  one  pertinacious  old  dt 
after  having  obtained  all  she  was  likely  to  get  from  me  i\ 
herself,  pulled  out  her  infant  by  the  arm,  and  qnietlyhd 
the  poor  little  creature  (for  it  was  perfectly  naked)  befoJ 
me  in  the  breeze,  the  temperature  at  the  time  beinj?  6(f 
below  freezing  point !  Petersen  informed  me  that  she  wj 
begging  for  a  needle  for  her  child.  I  need  not  say  I  gaj 
it  one  as  expeditiously  as  possible;  yet  sufficient  tin 
elapsed  before  the  infant  was  again  put  out  of  sight 
alarm  me  considerably  for  its  safety  in  such  a  temperaton 
The  natives,  however,  seemed  to  think  nothing  of  whj 
looked  to  me  like  cruel  exposure  of  a  naked  baby. 

We  now  returned  to  tTie  ship  with  all  the  speed  we  coul 
command  ;  but  stormy  weather  occasioned  two  days'  de!a| 
so  that  we  did  not  arrive  on  board  until  the  14th  Marcl 
Though  considerably  reduced  in  flesh,  I  and  ray  companioij 
were  in  excellent  health,  and  blessed  with  insatiable  app 
tites.  On  washing  our  faces,  which  had  become  perfecti 
black  from  the  soot  of  our  blubber  lamp,  sundry  scaij 
relics  of  frost-bites,  appeared ;  and  the  tips  of  oar  fingen 


1869. 


ARCTIC  FARE. 


189 


on  constant  frost-bites,  had  become  as  callous  as  if  scared 

fith  hot  iron. 

In  this  journey  of  twenty-five  days  we  traveled  360  geo- 

iphical  miles  (420  English),  and  completed  the  discovery 
the  coast-line  of  continental  America,  thereby  adding 

oat  120  miles  to  our  charts.     The  mean  temperature 

)oghout  the  journey  was  30°  below  zero  of  Fahrenheit, 

:  62^  below  the  freezing  point  of  water. 

On  reaching  the  ship,  I  at  once  assembled  my  small  crew, 
id  told  them  of  the  information  we  had  obtained,  pointing 
ot  that  there  still  remained  one  of  the  ships  unaccounted 
and  therefore  it  was  necessary  to  carry  out  all  our  pro- 

cted  lines  of  search. 

Daring  this  journey  I  acquired  the  Arctic  accomplish- 

CDt  of  eating  frozen  blubber,  in  delicate  little  slices,  and 

fitly  preferred  it  to  frozen  pork.  At  the  present  moment 
[do  not  think  I  could  even  taste  it,  but  the  same  privation 
nd  hunger  which  induced  me  to  eat  of  such  food  would 
bnbtless  enable  me  again  to  partake  of  it  very  kindly. 

I  shot  a  couple  of  foxes  which  came  playing  about  the 
i;  conscious  of  their  superior  speed,  they  were  very  im- 
odent,  snapping  at  the  dogs'  tails,  and  passing  almost 
Oder  their  noses.     I  shot  these  foxes,  intending  to  eat 

em ;  bat  the  dogs  anticipated  me  with  respect  to  one  ; 

I  other  we  feasted  off  at  our  mess-table,  and  thought  it 

no  means  bad;  it  was  insipid,  but  decidedly  better  to 

'  taste  than  preserved  meat. 

Captain  Allen  Toung  and  his  party  had  returned  on 
joard  on  the  3rd  of  March,  having  placed  their  depot  upon 

I  shore  of  Prince  of  Wales'  Land,  about  70  miles  S.  W. 
ftbe  ship.    Toung  found  the  ice  in  Bcllot  Strait  so  rough 

to  be  impassable,  and  was  obliged  to  adopt  the  lake 
Ne.    Prince  of  Wales'  Land  was  found  to  be  composed 

limestone ;  the  shore  was  low,  and  fringed  for  a  distance 

ten  miles  to  seaward  with  an  ancient  land-floe.    The 


Hi 


H) 


'•it. 4^1 


i    fl 


''     fe*"i''  i<-3 


n 


III 


190 


SUQAK  MISSING. 


Chap  X:l 


remaining  width  of  the  strait  between  this  land  (North 
Somerset)  and  Prince  of  Wales'  Land  was  about  15  milenj 
and  this  space  was  composed  of  ice  formed  since  Septeni. 
ber  last ;  this  was  the  water  we  looked  at  so  anxiouslj  lastl 
autumn  from  Cape  Bird  and  Pemmican  Rock.  His  panjl 
liFed  in  their  tent,  protected  from  the  wind  by  snow  walls, I 
and,  like  ourselves,  escaped  with  a  few  trivial  frost-bites.  Sol 
far  all  was  very  satisfactory,  the  general  health  good,  and! 
the  eagerness  of  my  crew  to  commence  traveling  quite! 
charming. 

Young  proposed  carrying  out  another  depot  to  thenorth-l 
west,  in  order  to  explore  well  up  Peel  Strait,  Ltd  wooldl 
have  started  on  the  Hth,  but  the  weather  was  to';  severe.! 
The  day  was  spent  in  a  fruitless  search  for  thrt^e  casks  of! 
Rugar — a  serious  and  unaccountable  deficiency — but,  a8i( 
was  important  to  replace  them  with  as  little  delay  as 
ble,  Young  set  off  on  the  18th,  although  it  blew  a  N.  W.| 
gale  at  the  time,  with  two  men  and  ei^rhteen  dogs,  for  For 
Beach ;  failing  to  find  the  requisite  quantity  there,  be 
go  on  to  Port  Leopold. 


.■^ 


i-.i 


,T  -iAv 


il-*.^  >>J 


tt^ ,  1''**^  J'f.-.  X 


y 


III.1IA9.       DR.  WALKBR'S  SLSpOB  JOURNEY. 


Ill 


(  t 


'"/  ill 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

"5 

JDr.Walker'i  iledg*  Jouraey— Snow-blindness  attaoks  Tonnes  party- 
Departure  of  all  sledge-parties — Equipment  of  sledge-parties — Meet 
the  itme  party  of  natives — Intelligence  of  the  second  ship— My  depot 
robbed — Part  company  from  Uobson — Matty  Island — Deserted  snow 
huts— Native  sledges — Land  on  King  William's  Land. 


Doctor  Walker's  zeal  for  IraTeling  was  not  to  be  re* 
litnined ;  I  therefore  gladly  availed  myself  of  his  willingness 
Ito  go  with  a  party  to  Cape  Airey  and  bring  back  the  depot 
Igf  provisions  left  there  in  August  last  These  trips  will 
jdelsy  our  spring  journeys  for  a  few  days. 

Daring  my  absence  from  the  '  Fox'  the  weather  was  often 
litormy,  and  temperature  unusually  low ;  the  mean  for  the 
Inonth  of  February  was  -^6°,  showing  it  to  be  one  of  the 
oldest  on  record.  When  possible  the  men  were  allowed  to 
|fo  oat  shooting,  and  obtain  fifty  or  sixty  ptarmigan  and  a 
hare ;  a  few  foxes  were  taken  in  traps,  &nd  two  reindet^' 
liereseen. 

Yesterday  two  bears  came  near  the  ship,  but  were  fright 
bed  away  by  the  dogs.     Hobson  shot  three  ptarmigan. 
To-day  I  rambled  over  the  bills,  the  weather  being  fine,  and 
aw  a  hare. 

29//i. — Continued  fine  weather.  A  couple  more  foxes 
Dd  a  lemming  in  its  hrown  coat  have  been  captured,  and  a 
and  four  ptarmigan  shot.  This  fine  bright  weather 
ems  to  have  awakened  the  lemmings  and  ermines ;  their 
cks,  which  were  very  rarely  seen  during  the  winter,  are 
Dw  tolerably  numerous;  foxes  appear  in  greater  numben^ 


'•ii 


H: 


192 


RETURN  OF  CAPTAIN  TOUNO.    CiAp.Xm. 


probably  following  up  the  ptarmigan  from  the  sonth ;  the 
thermometer  ranges  between  zero  and  -20^;  it  has  once 
been  up  to  -\-l^°.  When  exposed  to  a  noonday  sun  againu 
the  ship's  side  it  rises  50^  higher.  The  earth-thermometer 
—placed  2  feet  2  inches  beneath  the  surface— >whicb  grada- 
ally  fell  until  the  10th  of  this  month,  has  now  begun  to 
ascend  ;  its  minimum  was  -fi^  >  much  snow  also  lajr  over 
it,  6  feet  deep  at  this  season. 

On  the  25th   Dr.  Walker  and  his  party  returned,  not 
being  able  to  find  the  depot.    They  found  a  barrel  of  floor  | 
upon  the  beach  a  few  miles  south  of  Brentford  Bay ;  it  ap- 1 
peared  to  have  Iain  there  for  years,  just  inside  a  shingle 
projection,  which  kept  o£f  the  ice  pressure,  so  that  it  had 
not  been  forced  up  high  upon  the  beach ;  the  ice  which  bore 
it  there — probably  from  Port  Leopold — had  disappeared, 
and  the  cask  was  frozen  in  the  shingle.    The  heading  bu 
been  brought  on  board,  but  the  "scribing'^  upon  it  is  ve^ 
indistinct,  and   unintelligible  to  us.     The  flour  is  of  tlie{ 
ordinary  description  used  in  the  nayy,  and  known  as  "sec- 
onds; most  of  it  was  good,  and  plain  pudding  made  of  it  I 
for  our  mess  could  not  be  distinguished  from  fresh  flonr.  A 
specimen  has  been  preserved  with  a  view  of  identifying  it 
with  the  Fury  Beach  or  Port  Leopold  stores  of  flour.  Witli 
the  exception  of  a  solitary  bear,  the  party  saw  no  liviDg 
creatures.     The  shore  along  which  they  traveled  was  a  Ter;{ 
low,  shingly  limestone. 

Last  evening  I  was  delighted  to  see  Toung  and  his  two  I 
dog-sledges  heave  in  sight;  he  brought  about  8  ewt.  of 
sugar  from  Fury  Beach,  but  not  without  much  difficulty, 
owing  to  the  roughness  of  the  pack  in  Creswell  Baj;  andj 
also  to  the  breaking  down  of  one  of  his  sledges ;  to  arc 
this  pack  he  found  it  necessary  to  travel  nearly  all  roniid| 
Creswell  Bay.  Cape  Garry  he  describes  as  a  graduaiij 
curved  extent  of  flat  land,  and  not  the  decided  cape  it  ap- 
'  pears  to  be  upon  the  chart ;  two  reindeer  were  seen  neatl 


Mar.  1859. 


SNOW  BLINDNESS. 


19S 


'  ,41 


it,  and  daring  the  journey  four  bears;  no  other  animala 
were  met  wiih.  His  labors  had  been  very  severe ;  one 
sledge  broke  down  and  all  the  sugar  had  to  bo  piled  upon 
the  other:  the  consequence  was  that  the  sledge  was  so 
heavily  loaded  that  it  would  only  run  freely  after  the  dogs 
on  smooth  ice ;  and  directly  any  hummocks  were  cncpun- 
tered,  the  dogs,  with  their  usual  instinct,  not  to  drag  a 
iledgc  unless  it  does  run  freely,  would  lie  down,  and  oblige 
Captain  Young  and  his  two  men  to  unload  and  carry 
the  packages  over  the  obstacle,  upon  their  own  backs. 
After  this,  snow-blindness  came  on;  Young  and  one  of  his 
men  became  blind  as  kittens;  and  the  third  man  had  to 
load,  lead,  and  unload  them,  when  these  portages  occurred. 
Young's  Esquimaux  dog-driver,  Samuel,  was  quite  blind 
when  the  party  reached  the  ship.  Two  dogs,  not  choosing 
to  allow  themselves  to  be  caught  and  put  in  harness^  had 
been  still  left  behind  at  the  last  encampment. 

There  still  remains  at  Fury  Beach  an  immense  stack  of 
preserved  vegetables  and  soups ;  the  party  supped  off  them 
and  found  them  good.  Young  brought  me  back  two'  speci- 
men tins  of  "  carrots  plain''  and  "  carrots  and  gravy."  All 
Bmall  casks  and  packages  were  covered  with  snow ;  of  the 
large  ones  which  appeared  through  it,  he  saw  thirty-four 
casks  of  flour,  five  of  split  peas,  five  of  tobacco,  and  four 
of  sugar.  Only  a  very  few  tons  of  coals  remained.  There 
were  two  boats,  a  short  four-oared  gig  and  a  large  cutter ; 
The  former  required  nothing  but  caulking  to  make  her 
serviceable,  but  the  latter  had  a  large  portion  of  one  bow 
and  side  cut  out,  as  if  for  making  or  repairing  flat  sledges. 
No  record  was  found. 

We  have  now  enough  sugar  to  last  us  for  seven  or  eight 
months,  but  by  the  survey  of  provisions  which  has  just  been 
completed,  we  find  a  deficiency  of  many  other  articles, 
including  three  casks  of  salt  beef.  Fortunately  this  is  of 
BO  consequence  as  we  have  abundance  of  both  salt  and 
18 


;'"  .1} 


^'^'^ 


ic- 


■i 


194 


PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  START.        Chap.  XIII 


preserved  meat,  but  it  shows  the  alarming  extent  to  which 
a  negligent  Steward  may  lead  one.  This  nnfortnnate  man 
has  now  got  scurvy ;  want  of  exercise  and  fresh  air  is  the 
apparent  cause,  combined  with  irregular  living ;  the  spirits 
have  hitherto  been  in  bis  charge. 

The  bustle  of  preparation  for  the  extended  searching 
journeys  has  been  exciting.  Hobson's  party  and  my  own 
are  now  all  prepared^  and  Young  having  returned,  we  pro< 
pose  setting  out  on  the  2d  April — God  willing.  Young's 
new  sledge  will  be  ready,  and  he  will  also  start  a  few  days 
after  us.  All  our  winter  defences  of  snow,  our  porches, 
our  deck-layer,  and  our  external  embankment,  have  been 
removed.  Dr.  Walker,  of  necessity,  remains  in  charge  of 
the  ship,  with  two  stewards,  a  cook,  a  carpenter,  and  a 
stoker.  My  party,  as  well  as  Hobson's,  will  be  provisioned, 
including  the  dep6ts,  for  an  absence  of  about  eighty-four 
days ;  but  not  being  able  to  a£ford  auxiliary  or  supporting 
sledge-parties,  much  time  will  be  occupied  in  transporting 
our  dep6ts  further  out,  in  order,  that  we  may  start  with  oa 
much  as  we  can  possibly  carry,  from  the  Magnetic  Pole 
besides  leaving  there  a  dep6t  for  our  return. 

The  declinometer  was  taken  on  board  two  days  ago , 
hourly  observations  have  been  made  with  it  for  more  than 
five  months:  we  can  no  longer  spare  any  one  for  this  inter 
esting  duty,    v  '  «►  - 

'  24<A  June. — One  thing  is  certain,  the  wild  sort  of  tent- 
life  we  lead  in  Arctic  exploration  quite  unfits  one  for  such 
tame  work  as  writing  up  a  journal ;  my  present  attempt 
will  illustrp*e  the  fact, — yet  with  such  ample  materials  what 
a  deeply  interesting  volume  might  be  written  I  Since  I  last 
opened  this  familiar  old  diary — the  repository  alike  of  dry 
facts  and  the  most  trivial  notes — winter  has  passed  away, 
rammer  is  far  advanced,  and  the  glorious  snn  is  again  re* 


%■ 


Apr.  1859. 


THB  START. 


195 


taming  southward.    We  too  haye  endeavored  to  move  on 
with  the  times  and  seasons. 

As  for  myself — I  have  visited  Montreal  Island,  completed 
the  exploration  and  circuit  of  King  William's  Island,  pass- 
ing on  foot  through  the  only  feasible  North- West  Passage ; 
but  all  this  is  as  nothing  to  the  interest  attached  to  the 
Franklin  records  picked  up  by  Hobson,  and  now  safe  in 
my  possession  I  We  now  know  the  fate  of  the  'Erebus'  and 
'Terror.'  The  sole  object  of  ouv  Toyage  has  at  length  been 
completed,  and  we  anxiously  await  the  time  when  escape 
from  these  bleak  regions  will  become  practicable. 


The  morning  of  April  2nd  was  inauspicious,  but  as  the 
day  advanced  the  weather  improved,  so  that  Hobson  and  I 
were  able  to  set  out  upon  our  journeys ;  we  each  had  a 
sledge  drawn  by  four  men,  besides  a  dog-sledge  and  dog- 
driver.  Mr.  Petersen  having  volunteered  his  services  to 
drive  my  dogs, — an  oflfer  too  valuable  to  be  declined, — 
managed  my  dog-sledge  throughout.  Our  five  starveling 
puppies  were  harnessed,  for  the  first  time  in  their  lives,  to  a 
small  sledge  which  I  drove  myself,  intending  to  sell  them  to 
the  Esquimaux,  if  I  could  get  them  to  drag  their  own  sup- 
ply of  provisions  so  far.  The  procession  looked  imposing 
.—it  certainly  was  deeply  interesting;  there  were  five 
sledges,  twelve  men,  and  seventeen  dogs,  the  latter  of  all 
sizes  and  shapes.  The  ship  hoisted  the  Royal  Harwich 
Yacht  flag,  and  our  sledges  displayed  their  gay  silk  ban- 
ners; mine  was  a  very  beautiful  one,  given  me  by  Lad} 
Franklin;  it  bears  her  name  in  white  letters  upon  a  red 
ground,  and  is  margined  with  white  embroidery;  it  waa 
worked  by  the  sisters  of  Captain  Collinson. 

The  equipment  of  my  sledge-party  and  the  weights  were 
M  follows  :  those  of  Hobson  and  Young  were  almost  pre- 
eiiely  similar. 


196  EQUIPMENT.  Chap.  XIIL 

Ibtt.  weighL 

Two  sledgea  and  fitting  complete 110 

Tent,    wnterproof  blanket,  flooruluth,  two  fileepiDg^robes, 

and  six  blanket  fleeping-bags 90 

Cooking-utensils,  shovel,  saw,  snow-knife,  and  sundry  small 

articles 40 

Sledge-gun  and  ammunition 20 

Magnetic  and  atitronomical  instruments 60 

Six  knapsacks,  containing  spare  clothing 60 

Various  tins  and  bags,  in  which  provision  and  fuel  were 

stored 50 

Articles  for  barter 40 

Provisions 930 

Total 1400 

The  load  for  each  man  to  drag  was  fixed  at  200  lbs.,  and 
for  each  dog  100  lbs.  Our  provisions  consisted  mainly  of 
(yemmican,  biscuit,  and  tea,  with  a  small  addition  of  boiled 
f/ork,  rum,  and  some  tobacco. 

The  men  being  untrained  to  the  work,  and  sledges 
Leavily  laden,  our  march  was  fatiguing  and  slow.  We 
encamped  that  night  upon  the  long  lake.  On  the  second 
day  we  reached  the  western  sea,  and  upon  the  third,  aided 
foy  our  sledge-sails,  we  advanced  some  miles  beyond  Arce- 
deckne  Island. 

The  various  dep6ts  carried  out  with  so  much  difficnltj 
and  danger  in  the  autumn,  were  now  gathered  up  as  we 
advanced,  until  at  length  we  were  so  loaded  as  to  be  com> 
pelled  to  proceed  with  one-half  at  a  time,  going  three  times 
over  the  same  ground.  For  six  days  this  tedious  mode  of 
progression  was  persevered  in,  by  which  time  (15th  April) 
we  reached  the  low  limestone  shore  in  latitude  71^  7'  N., 
and  which  continues  thence  in  almost  a  straight  line  south- 
ward  for  60  or  70  miles.  We  now  commenced  laying  down 
provisions  for  our  consumption  upon  the  return  journey ; 
and  the  snow  being  unusually  level,  we  were  able  to  advance 
with  the  whole  of  our  remaining  provisions,  amounting  to 
ttoarly  sixty  days*  allowance. 


Apr.  1859. 


FORM  OF  SNOW  HUTS. 


191 


Hitherto  the  temperature  continued  low,  often  nearly  30® 
below  zero,  and  at  times  with  cutting  north  winds,  bright 
sun,  and  intensely  strong  snow  glare.  Aithough  we  wore 
colored  spectacles,  yet  almost  all  sufifered  great  inconve- 
nience and  considerable  pain  from  inflamed  eyes.  Our 
faces  were  blistered,  lips  and  hands  cracked,^never  were 
men  more  disfigured  by  the  combined  effects  of  bright  sun 
and  bitterly  cold  winds ;  fortunately  no  serious  frost-bites 
occurred,  but  frost-bitten  faces  and  fingers  were  universal. 

On  the  20th  April,  in  latitude  70^°  N.,  we  met  two  fami- 
lies of  natives,  comprising  twelve  individuals  ;  their  snow- 
bats  were  upon  the  ice  three-quarters  of  a  mile  off  shore, 
and  their  occupation  was  seal-hunting.  They  were  the 
same  people  with  whom  I  had  communicated  at  Cape  Vic- 
toria in  February. 

Old  Oo-na-lee  laid  his  hands  on  Petersen's  shoulders  to 
measure  their  wid|;h,  and  said,  "  He  is  fatter  now : "  true 
enough,  the  Februai7  temperature  and  sharp  marching  ha^l 
caused  us  both  at  that  time  to  shrink  considerably. 


if.^V 


'■'     '.■  i  *^l 

I  1   -J      '  i  -fcSi'l 


Their  snow-huts  were  built  in  the  above  form,  the  com- 
mon entrance  and  both  passages  being  just  sufficiently  high 
to  get  in  without  having  to  crawl  upon  our  hands  and 
knees.  A  slab  of  ice  in  the  roof  admitted  sufficient  light 
A.  snow  bank  or  bench  two  feet  high,  and  occupying  half 


y'B'n 


■:.'[y-M'm 

fmm 


m 


14^ 


198 


BARTER  WITH  NATIVES. 


Chap  XIU 


the  area  of  each  hut,  was  covered  with  reindeer  skins,  and 
formed  the  family  place  of  repose.  An  angular  snow  bench 
served  as  the  kitchen  table,  and  immediately  beside  it  sat 
the  lady  of  the  establishment  attending  the  stone  Inmp 
which  stood  thereon,  and  the  stone-cooking  vessel  suspended 
over  it.  The  lamp  was  a  shallow  open  vessel,  the  fuel  seal 
oil,  and  the  wick  dried  moss.  Her  "  tinder-box  "  was  a 
little  seal-skin  bag  of  soft  dry. mess,  and  with  a  lump  of  iron 
pyrites  and  a  broken  file  she  struck  fire  upon  it.  I  pur- 
chased the  file  because  it^was  marked  with  the  Government 
broad  arrow. 

We  saw  two  large  snow  shovels  made  of  mahogany  board, 
some  long  spear  handles,  a  bow  of  English  wood,  two  pre- 
served-meat  tins,  and  a  deal  case  which  might  have  once 
contained  a  large  telescope  or  a  barometer;  it  mensnred  3 
feet  1  inch  in  length  by  9  inches  wide  and  3^  inches  deep; 
there  was  no  lid,  but  part  of  the  brass  hinges  remained. 

I  also  purchased  a  knife  which  had  some  indistinct  mark- 
ings upon  it,  such  as  ship's  cutlasses  or  swords  usually  have; 
the  man  told  us  it  had  been  picked  up  on  the  shore  near 
where  a  ship  lay  stranded ;  that  it  was  then  about  the 
length  of  his  arm,  but  his  countryman  who  picked  it  up 
broke  it  into  lengths  to  make  knives. 

After  much  anxious  inquiry  we  learned  that  two  ships 
had  been  seen  by  the  natives  of  King  William's  Island ;  one 
of  them  was  seen  to  sink  in  deep  water,  and  nothing  was 
obtained  from  her,  a  circumstance  at  which  they  expressed 
much  regret ;  but  the  other  was  forced  on  shore  by  the  ice. 
where  they  suppose  she  still  remains,  but  is  much  broken. 
From  this  ship  they  have  obtained  most  of  their  wood,  &c. ; 
and  Oot-loo-lik  is  the  name  of  the  place  where  she  grounded. 

Formerly  many  natives  lived  there,  now  very  few  remain. 
All  the  natives  have  obtained  plenty  of  the  wood. 

The  most  of  this  information  was  given  us  by  the  young 
man  who  sold   the  knife.     Old  Oo-na-lee,  who  drew  the 


Apr.  1859.         INTELLIGENCE  OF  SECOND  SHIP. 


199 


rough  chart  for  me  in  March,  to  show  where  the  ship  sank, 
now  answered  our  questions  respecting  the  one  forced  on 
shore ;  not  a  syllable  about  her  did  he  mention  on  the 
former  occasion,  although  we  asked  whether  they  knew  of 
only  one  ship  ?  I  think  he  would  willingly  have  kept  us  in 
ignorance  of  the  wreck  being  upon  their  coasts,  and  that 
the  young  man  unwittingly  made  it  known  to  us. 

The  latter  also  told  us  that  the  body  of  a  man  was  found 
on  board  the  ship ;  that  he  must  have  been  a  very  large 
man,  and  had  long  teeth ;  this  is  all  he  recollected  having 
been  told,  for  he  was  quite  a  child  at  the  time. 

They  both  told  us  it  was  in  the  fall  of  the  year  —  that  is, 
August  or  September  —  when  the  ships  were  destroyed; 
that  all  the  white  people  went  away  to  the  "  large  river," 
taking  a  boat  or  boats  with  them,  and  that  in  the  following 
winter  their  bones  were  found  there. 

These  two  Esquimaux  families  had  been  up  as  far  north 
as  the  Tasmania  Group*  in  latitude  TlJ®  N.,  and  were 
returning  to  Neitchillee,  hunting  seals  by  the  way ;  those 
we  met  at  Cape  Victoria  had  already  gone  there.  The 
nearest  natives  to  us  at  present,  they  said,  were  residing  at 
the  island  of  Amitoke,  ten  days'  journey  distant  from  here. 
Can  this  Amitoke  be  Matty  Island  ? 

We  purchased  some  seal's  blubber  and  flesh,  as  well  as 
their  two  only  dogs ;  but  next  morning  Oo-na-lee  repented 
his  bargain,  or  feigned  to  do  so,  but  as  he  came  without  the 
knife  to  exchange  back  we  retained  his  dog ;  he  tried  to 
steal  a  tin  vessel  off  one  of  the  sledges,  and  perhaps  it  was 
for  the  purpose  of  regaining  our  favor  that  he  made  known 
to  us,  just  as  we  were  starting,  that  his  countrymen  had  fol- 

*  These  islands  were  so  named  by  me  at  the  request  of  Lady  Franklia, 
in  grateful  acknowledgment  of  many  proofs  of  affectionate  sympathy  re* 
ceived  from  the  colony  over  which  her  husband  presided  for  several  yean, 
and,  in  particular,  of  the  large  contributions  raised  there  in  aid  of  htf 
upeditions  of  search,  u    .  «. 


"*J  tin 


I 


■■.:■'  >:4  im 


mi 


':%if 


200 


DEPOT  ROBBED. 


chak  xni 


lowed  my  homeward  track  in  March,  discovering  my  depot 
of  blubber,  articles  for  barter,  and  two  revolvers,  and  car- 
ried them  all  off  to  Ncitciiillee  —  by  no  means  pieasjint 
intelligence  ;  their  dogs  must  have  enabled  them  to  Giid  the 
blubber  by  scenting  it,  for  it  was  buried  under  4  feet  of 
snow,  and  strong  winds  obliterated  all  traces  upon  the 
surface. 

I  was  now  glad  we  had  purchased  both  the  dogs  of  the 
men,  as  it  would  probably  prevent  their  seeking  for  oar 
depots  to  the  northward ;  the  knowledge  of  the  inse- 
curity of  all  depots  amongst  these  people  will  keep  us  on 
our  guard  for  the  future.  I  regretted  the  loss  of  the  pis- 
tols, as  it  left  my  party  with  no  other  arms  than  two  guns. 

Oo-na-lee  told  us  when  we  first  met  him  that  one  of  his 
countrymen  was  very  sick ;  not  seeing  a  sick  man  in  theii 
huts,  we  forgot  all  about  it  until  after  starting,  when  Peter- 
sen interpreted  to  me  Oo-na-lce's  parting  information,  and 
told  me  how  he  described  that  the  breach  of  the  revolver 
turned  round ;  it  then  occurred  to  me  that  one  of  the  men 
might  have  been  wounded, — they  had  discovered  how  to 
Gock  the  locks,  and  the  pistols  were  loaded  and  capped. 

Oo-na-lee  was  well  acquainted  with  the  coast-line  up  to 
Bellot  Strait,  and  had  names  for  the  difierent  headlands, 
although  he  had  never  been  so  far  north ;  he  made  many  in- 
quiries about  the  position  of  our  ship,  her  size,  and  the 
number  of  men.  Had  he  been  able  to  travel  so  far  with 
his  wife  and  several  young  children,  and  without  sledge  oi 
dogs,  I  think  he  certainly  would  have  gone  up  to  Port  Ken 
nedy :  we  did  not  give  him  any  encouragement  to  do  so. 
His  wife  was  one  of  the  most  importunate  of  the  many  wo- 
men we  saw  at  Cape  Victoria  in  March.  She  was  the 
woman  who  plucked  out  an  infant  by  its  arm  from  inaido 
her  dress,  and  exposed  it  regardless  of  -30*^  and  a  fresh 
wind,  as  I  have  previously  told. 

The  information  respecting  both  the  missing  ships  wan 


N 


'  .•,''■1'' 


DOQ  SLEDGE  0«  SCOL'T  TAKTY 


■V-     ifiJ 


11 

»    ,,  (I 

'•  ■.■'■■■  "■.     >:t* 


INTKRIOR    OF   THE   OBSKRVATORY. 
Drawn  by  Captain  May. 


Aph.  1858 

most  im 
ble,  the 

Conti 
ice,  and 
tliere  m 
autumn, 
were  for 
nnd  27t 
8outh-ea 
reached 
marcliet 
I  kept  a 
upon  th 
to  depo! 

Hobs 
ncss  anc 
cause. 
Wiiliam 
to  act  u 
or  from 
of  trace 
coraplet 
compris 
Captain 

I  800 

pack;  n 
verse  of 
Parry,  i 
clear,  ai 
the  assi 
Islands 
Ada 
ground 
ipeak  r 
bered  c 


An.  1S59 


PART  COMPANY  FROM  HOBSON. 


201 


most  important,  and  it  remained  for  us  to  discover,  if  possi* 
ble,  the  stranded  ship. 

Continuing  our  journey,  we  crossed  a  wide  bay  upon  level 
ice,  and  the  most  perfectly  smooth  hard  snow  I  ever  saw  ; 
there  must  have  been  much  open  water  here  late  last 
autumn.  Seven  or  eight  snow  huts,  recently  abandoned, 
were  fonnd  near  the  magnetic  pole.  During  the  25th,  26th, 
niid  27th,  we  were  confined  to  our  tents  by  a  very  heavy 
gotith-east  gale,  with  severe  cold.  Early  on  the  28th  we 
reac'hed  Gape  Victoria  ;  here  Hobson  and  I  separated.  He 
marched  direct  for  Cape  Felix,  King  William's  Land,  whilst 
I  i{ept  a  more  southerly  course.  Not  daring  to  leave  depots 
upon  this  coast,  we  carried  on  our  whole  supply,  intending 
to  deposit  a  small  portion  upon  the  Clarence  Islands. 

Hobson  was  unwell  when  we  parted,  complaining  of  stiff- 
ness and  pain  in  the  legs ;  neither  of  us  then  suspected  the 
cause.  I  gave  him  directions  to  search  the  west  coast  of  King 
William's  Island  for  the  stranded  ship  and  for  records,  and 
to  act  upon  such  information  as  he  might  obtain  in  this  way, 
or  from  the  natives;  but  should  that  shore  prove  destitute 
of  traces,  to  carry  out,  if  possible,  our  original  plan  for  the 
completion  of  discovery  and  search  upon  Victoria  Land, 
comprising  the  blank  space  between  the  extremes  visited  by 
Captain  Collinson  and  Mr.  Wynniatt. 

I  soon  found  that  my  party  had  to  labor  across  a  rough 
pack ;  nor  was  it  until  the  third  day  that  we  completed  the  tra- 
verse of  the  strait,  and  encamped  near  to  the  entrance  of  Port 
Parry,  in  King  William's  Island.  Although  the  weather  was 
clear,  and  that  by  cur  reckoning  we  passed  directly  over 
the  assigned  position  of  the  two  southern  of  the  Clarence 
Islands,  yet  we  saw  nothing  of  them. 

A  day  was  devoted  to  securing  a  depot  in  a  huge  mass  of 
grounded  ice,  and  in  repairing  and  drying  equipments,  or,  to 
ipeak  more  correctly,  in  getting  rid  of  the  ice  which  encum- 
bered our  sleeping  bags  and  gear ;  this  we  effected  by  beat- 


.•:;:'-l^5 


M 


S02 


NATIVE  8LED0ES. 


Chap.  XHL 


ing  them  well  and  exposing  them  to  the  direct  rays  of  the 
son.  Magnetic  and  other  observations  gave  me  ample  em- 
ployment, the  only  immediate  result  of  which  was  my  being 
almost  snow-blind  for  the  two  following  days. 

On  May  2nd  we  set  ofif  again  briskly ;  our  load  being  di* 
minished  to  thirty  days'  provisions,  and  the  sledge  sail  set, 
we  soon  reached  the  land,  and  travelled  along  it  for  Cape 
Sabine ;  it  was  very  thick  weather,  and  we  were  unable  to 
see  any  distance  in  consequence  of  the  mist  and  snow-drift. 
The  following  day  was  no  better,  and  the  shore,  which  we 
dared  not  leave  to  cross  the  bays,  was  extremely  low. 

We  soon  discovered  that  we  had  strayed  inland;  bat, 
guided  by  the  wind,  continued  our  course.  Upon  May  4tb 
we  descended  into  Wellington  Strait,  and  the  weather  being 
tolerably  clear,  crossed  over  to  the  south-west  extreme  of 
Matty  Island,  in  the  hope  of  meeting  with  natives,  no  traces 
of  them  having  been  met  with  since  leaving  Cape  Yictoria. 
Off  this  south-west  point  we  found  a  deserted  village  of 
nearly  twenty  snow-huts,  besides  several  others,  within  a 
few  miles  upon  either  side  of  it ;  in  all  of  them  I  found 
shavings  or  chips  of  different  kinds  of  wood  from  the  lost 
expedition  ;  they  appeared  to  have  been  abandoned  only 
within  a  fortnight  or  three  weeks.  Abundance  of  blubber 
was  gathered  up  to  increase  our  stock  of  fuel,  and  had  we 
encamped  here,  the  dogs  would  have  feasted  sumptuously 
off  the  scraps  and  bones  of  seals  strewed  about. 

The  runners  (or  sides)  of  some  old  sledges  left  here  were 
very  ingeniously  formed  out  of  rolls  of  seal-.skin,  about  3| 
feet  long,  and  flattened  so  as  to  be  2  or  3  inches  wide  and  5 
inches  high  ;  the  seal-skins  appeared  to  have  been  well  soaked 
and  then  rolled  up,  flattened  into  the  required  form  and  al- 


)^^ 


hn.  1859. 


NATIVE  HUTS. 


203 


lovred  to  freeze.  The  underneath  part  was  coated  with  a 
mixture  of  moss  and  ice  laid  smoothly  on  by  hand  before 
being  allowed  to  freeze ;  the  moss,  I  suppose,  answering  the 
purpose  of  hair  in  mortar,  to  make  the  compound  adhere 
more  firmly. 

From  this  spot  the  shore-line  of  Matty  Island  turned 
sharply  to  the  N.  N.  E. ;  there  were  some  considerable  is- 
lands to  the  east,  but  thinking  the  most  southerly  of  this 
group,  named  "  Owut-ta'^  by  the  Esquimaux,  the  most  likely 
place  to  find  the  natives,  I  pushed  on  in  that  direction  until 
we  encamped.  Thick  fog  enveloped  us  for  the  next  two 
days ;  we  could  not  find  the  island,  but  found  a  very  small 
islet  near  it,  oflf  which  was  another  snow-village  very  re- 
cently abandoned,  the  sledge  tracks  plainly  showing  that 
the  inhabitants  had  gone  to  the  E.  N.  E. ,  which  is  straight 
for  Neitchillee.  It  was  now  evident  that  these  places  of 
winter  resort  were  deserted,  and  that  here  at  least  we  shonld 
not  find  any  natives ;  I  was  the  more  sorry  at  having  missed 
them,  as,  from  the  quantity  of  wood  chips  about  the  huts, 
they  probably  had  visited  the  stranded  ship  alluded  to  by 
the  last  Esquimaux  we  had  met,  and  the  route  to  which  lies 
ap  an  inlet  visible  from  here,  and  then  overland  three  or 
four  days'  journey  to  the  westward,  until  the  opposite  coast 
of  King  William's  Land  is  reached. 

The  largest  huts  measured  12  feet  in  diameter,  by  6  or  7 
feet  high ;  the  greater  part  were  constructed  in  pairs,  having 
a  passage  20  or  25  feet  long,  serving  as  the  common  en- 
trance ;  where  the  passage  divides  into  two  branches,  there 
was  a  small  hut,  which  served  as  a  sort  of  ante-chamber  for 
the  reception  of  such  articles  as  were  intended  to  remain 
frozen. 


r 


:i^ 


■i  iff 


4.U^ 


m 

•'J 

1 

11 

m 

•  1*  s.'ff 

I  '■<■•% 

1  -M 

''V% 

:|ll 

1' 

-'     >.  *v  ^ 
•   tvft 


904 


MEET  ESQUIMAUX. 


ciAP.  in. 


CUAPTER    XIV. 


M<i9t  Esquimnux— Kewf  of  Franklin's  people— Frighten  a  lolitary  per^ 
— Reasli  lh«  Great  FIhIi  Rirer— On  Montreal  Island— Total  absence  of 
all  relics — Examine  Ogle  Peninsula — Difcoirer  a  slieleton— Vagneaeis 
of  Esquimaux  information — Cape  Uersobel — Cairn. 


I  • 


*llh  May. — To  avoid  snow-blindness,  we  commenced  night* 
marching.  Crossing  over  from  Matty  Island  towards  thu 
King  William  Inland  shore,  we  continued  our  mnrch  south- 
ward until  midnight,  when  we  had  the  good  fortune  to  arrive 
at  an  inhabited  snow-viilage.  We  found  here  ten  or  twelve 
huts  and  thirty  or  forty  natives  of  King  William's  Island ; 
I  do  not  think  any  of  them  had  ever  seen  white  people  alive 
before,  but  they  evidently  knew  us  to  be  friends.  We  halted 
at  a  little  distance,  and  pitched  our  tent,  the  better  to  se- 
cure small  articles  from  being  stolen  whilst  we  bartered  with 
them. 

I  pnrchased  from  them  six  pieces  of  silver  plate,  bearing 
the  crests  or  initials  of  Franklin,  Crozicr,  Fuirhohne,  and 
McDonald ;  they  also  sold  us  bows  and  arrows  of  English 
woods,  uniform  and  other  buttons,  and  offered  us  a  heavy 
sledge  made  of  two  short  stout  pieces  of  curved  wood,  which 
no  mere  boat  could  have  furnished  them  with,  but  this  of 
course  we  could  not  take  away ;  the  silver  spoons  and  forks 
were  readily  sold  for  four  needles  each. 

They  were  most  obliging  and  peaceably  disposed,  but 
could  not  resist  the  temptation  to  steal,  and  were  importu- 
nate to  barter  every  thing  they  possessed  ;  tliere  was  nut  a 
trace  of  fear,  every  countenance  was  lighted  up  with  joy; 
•Ten  the  children  were  not  shy,  nor  backward  either,  in 


^^M:\ 


Mat,  1869. 


PURCHASE  OF  RBLICS. 


aoft 


crowding  about  ns,  and  poking  in  everywhere.  One  man 
got  bold  of  our  saw,  and  tried  to  retain  it,  liolding  it  be- 
hind bis  back,  and  presenting  his  knife  in  exchange ;  we 
migiit  have  had  some  trouble  in  getting  it  from  him,  had  not 
one  of  my  men  mistaken  hia  object  in  presenting  the  knife 
towards  me,  and  run  out  of  the  tent  with  a  gun  in  his  hand  ; 
the  saw  was  instantly  returned,  and  these  poor  people 
seemed  to  think  they  never  could  do  enough  to  convince  ua 
of  their  friendliness ;  they  repeatedly  tapped  me  gently  on 
the  breast,  repeating  the  words  •*  Kaaimik  toome"  (We  are 
friends). 

Having  obtained  all  the  relics  they  possessed,  I  purchased 
some  seal's  flesh,  blubber,  frozen  venison,  dried  and  frozen 
salmon,  and  sold  some  of  my  puppies.  They  told  us  it  wai 
five  days' journey  to  the  wreck, — one  day  up  the  inlet  still 
in  sight,  and  four  days  overland  ;  this  would  carry  them  to 
the  western  coast  of  Ring  William's  Land  ;  they  added  that 
but  little  now  remained  of  the  wreck  which  was  accessible, 
their  countrymen  having  carried  almost  every  thing  away. 
In  answer  to  an  inquiry,  they  said  she  was  without  masts ; 
the  question  gave  rise  to  some  laughter  amongst  them,  and 
they  spoke  to  each  other  about  fire,  from  which  Petersen 
thought  they  had  burnt  the  masts  through  close  to  the  deck 
in  order  to  get  them  down.  « 

There  had  been  many  books  they  said,  but  all  have  long 
ago  been  destroyed  by  the  weather;  the  ship  was  forced 
on  shore  in  the  fall  of  the  year  by  the  ice.  She  had  not 
been  visited  during  the  past  winter,  and  an  old  woman  and 
a  boy  were  shown  to  us  who  were  the  last  to  visit  the 
wreck ;  they  said  they  had  been  at  it  during  the  winter  of 
1857-8. 

Petersen  questioned  the  woman  closely,  and  she  seemed 
anxious  to  give  all  the  information  in  her  power.  She  said 
many  of  the  white  men  dropped  by  the  way  as  they  went  to 
thi  Qreat  River ;  that  some  were  buried  and  some  were  not ; 


II! 


i.'it  m 


".'  f 


206 


JOURNEY  CONTINUED. 


Chap.  XIV 


they  did  not  themselves  witness  this,  but  discovered  their 
bodies  during  the  winter  following.    " 

We  could  not  arrive  at  any  approximation  to  the  num. 
bers  of  the  white  men  nor  of  the  years  elapsed  since  they 
were  lost. 

This  was  all  the  information  we  could  obtain,  and  it  was 
with  great  difficulty  so  much  could  be  gleaned,  the  dialect 
being  strange  to  Petersen,  and  the  natives  far  more  inclined 
to  ask  questions  than  to  answer  them.  They  assured  us  we 
should  find  natives  upon  the  south  shore  of  King  William's 
Island  only  three  days^  journey  from  here,  and  also  at  Mon- 
treal Island ;  moreover  they  said  we  might  find  some  at  the 
wreck.  For  these  reasons  I  did  not  prolong  my  stay  with 
them  beyond  a  couple  of  hours.  They  seemed  to  have  but 
little  intercourse  with  other  communities,  not  having  heard 
of  our  visit  to  the  Boothians  two  months  before;  one  man 
even  asked  Petersen  if  he  had  seen  his  brother,  who  lived  in 
Boothia,  not  having  heard  of  him  since  last  summer. 

It  was  quite  a  relief  to  get  away  from  these  good-humored, 
noisy  thieves,  and  rather  difficult  too,  as  some  of  them  ac- 
companied us  for  miles.  They  had  abundance  of  food. 
were  well  clotlied,  and  are  a  finer  race  than  those  who 
inhabit  North  Greenland,  or  Pond's  Inlet ;  the  men  had 
their  hair  cropped  short,  with  the  exception  of  one  long, 
straggling  lock  hanging  down  on  each  side  of  the  face ;  like 
tlie  Boothians,  the  women  had  lines  tattooed  upon  their 
cheeks  and  chins. 

We  now  proceeded  round  a  bay  which  I  named  Latrobe 
in  honor  of  the  late  Governor  of  Victoria,  and  of  his  brother, 
th3  head  of  the  Moravian  Church  in  London,  both  esteemed 
friends  of  Franklin. 

Finding  the  "Mathison  Island'*  of  Rao  to  be  a  flat- 
topped  hill,  we  crossed  over  low  land  to  the  west  of  it,  and 
upon  the  morning  of  the  10th  May  reached  a  single  sno\r 
but  off  Point  Booth.     I  was  quite  astonished  at  the  number 


Mat,  1869. 


FRIGHTEN  A  BOLITARY  PARTY. 


201 


of  poles  and  various  articles  of  wood  lying  about  it,  also  at 
the  huge  pile  of  walrus'  and  reindeer's  flesh,  seal's  blabber, 
and  skins  of  various  sorts.  We  had  abundance  of  leisure 
to  examine  these  exterior  articles  before  the  inmates  would 
Tenture  out ;  they  were  eviG:ntiy  much  alarmed  by  our  sud- 
den appearance. 

A  remarkably  fine  old  dog  was  tied  at  the  entrance — ^the 
line  being  made  fast  within  the  long  passage — and  although 
he  wagged  his  tail,  and  received  us  as  old  acquaintances,  we 
did  not  like  to  attempt  an  entrance.  At  length  an  old  man 
and  an  old  woman  appeared ;  they  trembled  with  fear,  and 
could  not,  or  would  not,  say  any  thing  except  "  Kammik 
toomee :"  we  tried  every  means  of  allaying  their  fears,  but 
their  wits  seemed  paralyzed,  and  we  could  get  no  informa- 
tion. We  asked  where  they  got  the  wood?  They  pur- 
chased it  from  their  countrymen.  Did  they  know  the  Great 
River  ?  Tes,  but  it  was  a  long  way  off.  Were  there  natives 
tiiere  now  ?  Yes.  They  even  denied  all  knowledge  of  white 
people  having  died  upon  their  shores.  A  fine  young  man 
came  out  of  the  hut,  but  we  could  learn  nothing  of  him ; 
they  said  they  had  nothing  to  barter,  except  what  we  saw, 
although  we  tempted  them  by  displaying  our  store  of  knives 
and  needles. 

The  wind  was  strong  and  fair,  and  the  morning  intensely 
cold,  and  as  I  could  not  hope  to  overcome  the  fears  of  these 
poor  people  without  encamping,  and  staying  perhaps  a  day 
with  them,  I  determined  to  push  on,  and  presented  the  old 
lady  with  a  needle  as  a  parting  gift. 

The  principal  articles  which  caught  my  attention  here 
were  eight  or  ten  fir  poles,  varying  in  length  from  5  to  10 
feet,  and  up  to  2^  inches  in  diameter  (these  were  converted 
into  spear  handles  and  tent  poles),  a  kayak  paddle  con- 
Btracted  out  of  the  blade  of  two  ash  oars,  and  two  large 
iQow  shovels  4  feet  long,  made  of  thin  plank,  painted  white 


"'i  -I 


■■M  m 


■^m 


■mi 

i 


i 


208 


MONTREAL  ISLAND. 


Chap.  XH 


or  pale  yellow ;  these  might  have  been  the  bottom  bottrda 
of  a  boat.     There  were  many  smaller  articles  of  wood 

Half  a  mile  further  on  we  found  seven  or  eight  deserted 
snow  huts.  Bad  weather  had  now  fuirly  set  in,  accompunied 
by  a  most  unseasonable  degree  of  cold.  On  the  morning 
of  the  12th  May  we  crossed  Point  Ogle,  and  encamped 
upon  the  ice  in  the  Great  Fish  River  the  same  evening ;  tlie 
cold  and  the  darkness  of  our  more  southern  latitude,  Imving 
obliged  us  to  return  to  day-traveling.  All  the  13th  we 
were  imprisoned  in  our  tent  by  a  most  furious  gale,  nor  was 
it  until  late  on  the  morning  of  the  14th  that  we  could  pro- 
ceed ;  that  evening  we  encamped  2  miles  from  some  sniull 
islands  which  lie  oiT  the  north  end  of  Montreal  Island. 

On  the  morning  of  the  15th  we  made  only  a  short  march 
of  6  miles,  as  one  of  the  men  suffered  severely  from  snow- 
blindness,  and  I  was  anxious  to  recommence  night-trav- 
elling; encamped  in  a  little  bay  upon  the  N.  E.  side  of 
Montreal  Island.  The  same  evening  we  again  set  out,  al- 
though it  was  blowing  very  strongly,  and  "  snowing  for  a 
wager,"  as  the  men  expressed  it|  but  it  was  only  necessary 
for  us  to  keep  close  along  the  shore  of  the  island :  we  dis- 
covered, however,  a  narrow  and  crooked  channel  which  led 
us  through  to  the  west  side  of  the  island,  and,  one  of  the 
men  appearing  seriously  ill,  we  encamped  about  midiiip;ht. 

Whilst  encamped  this  day,  explorations  were  made  ubout 
the  N.  E.  quarter  of  the  island ;  islets  and  rocks  were  seen 
to  abound  in  all  directions ;  eventually  it  proved  to  be  a 
separate  island  upon  which  we  had  encamped.  The  only 
traces  or  relics  of  Europeans  found  were  lb  following  arti- 
cles, discovered  by  Petersen,  beside  a  native  mark  (one  large 
stone  set  upright  on  the  top  of  another),  at  the  east  side  of 
the  Main — or  Montreal  Island  : — A  piece  of  preserved  meat 
tin,  two  pieces  of  iron  hoop,  some  scraps  of  copper,  and  au 
iron-hoop  bolt.  These  probably  are.  part  of  the  plunder 
obtained  from  the  boat,  and  were  left  here  until  a  more  fa- 


Uir,  1859. 


SEARCH  FOR  RELICS. 


20» 


Torable  opportunity  should  offer,  or  perhaps  necessity  should 
compel  the  depositor  to  return  for  them. 

All  the  16th  we  were  unable  to  move,  not  only  because 
Hampton  was  ill,  but  the  weather  was  extremely  bad,  and 
iLOW  thickly  falling  with  temperature  at  zero;  certainly 
Btraiige  weather  for  the  middle  of  May  I  We  have  not  had 
a  single  clear  day  since  the  1st  of  the  month.   « 

On  the  nth  the  weather,  though  dull,  was  clear,  so  Mr. 
Petersen,  Thompson,  and  I,  set  off  with  the  dog-sledge  to 
complete  the  examination  of  Montreal  Island,  leaving  the 
other  three  men  with  the  tent :  we  hoped  also  to  find  natives, 
but  had  not  seen  any  recent  traces  of  them  since  passing 
Point  Booth.  Petersen  drove  the  dog-sledge  close  along 
shore  round  the  island  to  the  south,  and  as  far  up  the  east 
side  as  to  meet  our  previously  explored  portion  of  it,  whilst 
Thompson  and  I  walked  along  on  the  land,  the  one  close 
down  to  the  beach,  and  the  other  higher  up,  examining  the 
more  conspicuous  parts :  in  this  order  we  traversed  the  re- 
maining portion  of  the  island. 

Although  the  snow  served  to  conceal  from  ns  any  traces 
which  might  exist  in  hollows  or  sheltered  situations,  yet  it 
rendered  all  objects  intended  to  serve  as  marks  proportion- 
ably  conspicuous ;  and  we  may  remember  that  it  was  in  its 
winter  garb  that  the  retreating  crews  saw  Montreal  Island, 
precisely  as  we  ourselves  saw  it.  The  island  was  almost 
covered  with  native  marks,  usually  of  one  stone  standing 
opright  upon  another,  sometimes  consisting  of  three  stones, 
but  very  rarely  of  a  greater  number. 

No  trace  of  a  cairn  could  be  found. 

In  examining,  with  pickaxe  and  shovel,  a  collection  of 
stones  which  appeared  to  be  arranged  artificially,  we  found 
a  quantity  of  seal's  blubber  buried  beneath ;  this  old  Esqui- 
maux cache  was  near  the  S.  E.  point  of  the  island.  The 
interior  of  the  island  and  the  principal  islets  adjacent  were 
also  examined  without  success,  nor  was  there  the  slighiNt 
14 


'  h 


t. 


210 


TOTAL  ADSEXCE  OF  RELICS. 


CHAP.X17.  ■Mat,IS59. 


evidence  of  natives  having  been  here  during  the  winter :  it 
is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  we  returned  in  the  evening  to 
our  tent  somewhat  dispirited.  The  total  absence  of  natives 
was  a  bitter  disappointment ;  circles  of  stones,  indicating 
the  sites  of  their  tentviig  places  in  summer,  were  commun 
enough,  i  /^ 

Montreal  Island  is  of  primary  rock,  chieHy  grey  gneiss, 
traversed  with  whitish  vertical  bands  in  a  N.  and  S.  direc- 
tion (by  them  I  often  directed  my  route  when  crossing  the 
island).  It  is  of  considerable  elevation,  and  extremely 
rugged.  The  low' caches  and  grassy  hollows  were  covered 
with  a  foot  or  two  of  hard  snow,  whilst  all  the  level,  the 
elevated,  or  exposed  parts  were  swept  perfectly  bare ;  had  a 
cairn,  or  even  a  grave  existed  (raised  as  it  must  be,  the 
earth  being  frozen  hard  as  rock),  we  must  at  once  have 
seen  it.  If  any  were  constructed  they  must  have  been  lev- 
elled by  the  natives ;  every  doubtful  appearance  was  exam- 
ined with  the  pickaxe. 

A  remark  made  by  my  men  struck  me  as  being  shrewd; 
they  judged  from  the  washed  appearance  of  the  rock  upon 
the  east  sid«  of  Montreal  Island  that  it  must  be  often  ex- 
posed to  a  considerable  sea,  such  as  would  effectually  rcracve 
everything  not  placed  far  above  its  reach;  when  looking 
over  the  smooth  and  frozen  expanse  one  is  apt  to  forget  this. 

Since  our  first  landing  upon  King  William's  Island  we 
have  not  met  with  any  heavy  ice ;  all  along  its  eastern  and 
sonthern  shore,  together  with  the  estuary  of  this  great  river, 
is  one  vast  unbroken  sheet  formed  in  the  early  part  of  last 
winter  where  no  ice  previously  existed;  this  I  fancy  (from 
the  accounts  of  Back  and  Anderson)  is  unusual,  and  niu; 
have  caused  the  Esquimaux  to  vary  their  seal-hunting  lo- 
calities. Mr.  Petersen  suggested  that  they  might  have  re- 
tired into  the  various  inlets  after  the  seals ;  and  therefore  1 
determined  to  cross  over  into  Barrow's  Inlet  as  soon  as  w« 
bad  examined  the  Point  Ogle  Peninsula. 


CHAP.X17.  ■)'AT»1«^''- 


ere  commun 


J  800  n  as  ff« 


SHOOTINO  QAME. 


211 


Upon  Montreal  Island  I  shot  a  bare  and  a  brace  of  wil- 
lo?ir-grouse.  Up  to  tbis  date  we  bad  shot  during  our  jour- 
ney only  one  bear  and  a  couple  of  ptarmigan.  The  first 
r  jent  traces  of  reindeer  were  met  with  here. 

On  the  18th  May  we  crossed  over  to  the  mainland  near 
Point  Duncan,  but  Hampton  again  complaining,  I  was 
obliged  to  encamp.  When  away  from  my  party,  and  ex- 
ploring along  the  shore  towards  Elliot  Bay,  I  saw  a  herd 
of  eight  reindeer  and  succeeded  in  shooting  one  of  them. 
lathe  evening  Petersen  saw  another.  Some  willow-grouse 
ilso  were  seen.  Here  we  found  much  more  vegetation  than 
spon  King  William's  Island,  or  any  other  Arctic  land  I 
have  yet  seen. 

On  the  evening  of  the  19tn  we  commenced  our  return 
journey,  but  for  the  three  following  weeks  our  route  led  us 
orer  new  ground.  Hampton  being  unable  to  drag,  I  made 
over  my  puppy-team  to  him,  and  was  thus  left  free  to 
explore  and  fully  examine  every  doubtful  object  along  our 
route.  I  shall  not  easily  forget  the  trial  my  patience  under- 
went during  the  six  weeks  that  I  drove  that  dog-sledge. 
The  leader  of  my  team,  named  "  Omar  Pascha,"  was  very 
willing,  but  very  lame ;  little  "  Rose"  was  coquettish,  and 
fonder  of  being  caressed  than  whipped ;  from  some  cause  or 
other  she  ceased  growing  when  only  a  few  months  old ;  she 
was  therefore  far  too  small  for  heavy  work  ;  "  Darky"  and 
"Missy"  were  mere  pups ;  and  last  of  all  came  the  two 
wretched  starvelings,  reared  in  the  winter,  "  Foxey"  and 
"Dolly."  Each  dog  had  its  own  harness,  formed  of  strips 
of  canvas,  and  was  attached  to  the  sledge  by  a  single  trace 
12  feet  long.  None  of  them  had  ever  been  yoked  before, 
»iid  the  amount  of  cunning  and  perversity  they  displayed 
to  avoid  both  the  whip  and  the  work,  was  quite  astonishing. 
They  bit  through  their  traces,  and  hid  away  under  the 
sledge,  or  leaped  over  one  another's  backs,  so  as  to  get 
into  the  middle  of  the  team  out  of  the  way  of  my  whip, 


-;;>•:!'   ;:1 


■•■•r 


\  '•'{':■■ 


212 


EXAMINE   OGLE  PENINSULA. 


Chap.  JnHmri  1859. 


until  the  traces  became  plaited  up,  and  the  dogs  wen 
almost  knotted  together ;  the  consequence  was  I  had  \\ 
halt  every  few  minutes,  pull  off  my  mits,  and,  at  the  risi 
of  frozen  fingers,  disentangle  the  lines.  I  persevered,  ho« 
ever,  and,  without  breaking  any  of  their  bones,  succeedej 
in  getting  a  surprising  amount  of  work  out  of  them.  Hob 
eon  drove  his  own  dog-sledge  likewise,  and  as  long  as  wi 
were  together  we  helped  each  other  out  of  difficulties,  and 
they  were  frequently  occurring,  for,  apart  from  those  I  haTJ 
above  mentioned,  directly  a  dog-sledge  is  stopped  by  bun 
mocks,  or  sticks  fast  in  deep  snow,  the  dogs,  instead  oi 
exerting  themselves,  lie  down,  looking  perfectly  deli<,'htei 
at  the  circumstance,  and  the  driver  has  to  extricate  thj 
sledge  with  a  hearty  one,  two,  three  haul  I  and  apply  a  iittlj 
gentle  persuasion  to  set  his  canine  team  in  motion  airain. 

Having  searched  the  east  shore  of  this  land  for  7  or  I 
miles  further  north,  we  crossed  over  into  Barrow's  Inlelj 
and  spent  a  day  in  its  examination,  but  not  a  trace  olj 
natives  were  met  with 

Regaining  the  shore  of  Dease  and  Simpson's  Strait,  sod 
miles  to  the  west  of  }*oint  Richardson,  we  crossed  over  td 
King  William's  Island  upon  the  morning  of  the  24ih| 
striking  in  upon  it  u  short  distance  west  of  the  Vem 
River.  The  south  coast  was  closely  examined  as  \r| 
marched  along  towards  Cape  Herschel.  Upon  a  conspicaj 
ous  point,  to  the  westward  of  Point  Gladman,  a  cairij 
nearly  five  feet  high  was  seen,  which,  although  it  did 
appear  to  be  a  recent  construction,  was  taken  down,  strc^ 
by  stone,  and  carefully  examined,  the  ground  beneath  beinj 
broken  up  with  the  pickaxe,  but  nothing  was  covered. 

The  ground  about  it  was  much  exposed  to  the  winds,  ari| 
fionsequently  devoid  of  snow,  so  that  no  trace  could  ha^ 
escaped  us.     Simpson  does  not  mention  having  landed  hereJ 
or  anywhere  upon  the  island  except  at  Cape  Herschel,  jej 
it  seemed  to  mc  strange  that  natives  should  construct  sacii 


CBAp.inflvi^is^'' 


A  SKELETON  DISCOVERED. 


213 


I  mark  here,  since  a  hage  boulder,  which  would  equally 
lerve  their  purpose,  stood  upon  the  same  elevatipn,  and 
litbia  a  couple  of  hundred  yards.  We  had  previously 
(xaiuined  a  similar  but  smaller  cairn,  a  few  miles  to  the 
eastward. 

We  were  now  npon  the  shore  along  which  the  retreating 
crews  must  have  marched.  My  sledges  of  course  travelled 
opoD  the  sea-ice  close  along  the  shore ;  and,  although  the 
depth  of  snow  which  covered  the  beach  deprived  us  of 
ilmost  every  hope,  yet  we  kept  a  very  sharp  look-out  foi 
vaces,  nor  were  we  unsuccessful.  Shortly  after  midnight 
of  the  24th  May,  when  slowly  walking  along  a  gravel  ridge 
Dear  the  beach,  which  the  winds  kept  partially  bare  of 
NOW,  I  came  npon  a  human  skeleton,  partly  exposed,  with 
here  and  there  a  few  fragments  of  clothing  appearing 
tbroQgh  the  snow.  The  skeleton — now  perfectly  bleached 
-was  lying  upon  its  face,  the  limbs  and  smaller  bones  either 
dissevered  or  gnawed  away  by  small  animals. 

A  most  careful  examination  of  the  spot  was  of  course 
made,  the  snow  removed,  and  every  scrap  of  clothing 
irathered  up.  A  pocket-book  afforded  strong  grounds  of 
bpe  that  some  information  might  be  subsequently  obtained 
respecting  the  unfortunate  owner  and  the  calamitous  march 
of  the  lost  crews,  but  at  the  time  it  was  frozen  hard.  The 
(ubstance  of  that  which  we  gleaned  upon  the  spot  may  thus 
be  summed  up:  ^ 

This  victim  was  a  young  man,  slightly  built,  and  perhaps 
above  the  common  height ;  the  dress  appeared  to  be  that 
of  a  steward  or  officer's  servant,  the  loose  bow-knot  in 
which  his  neck-handkerchief  was  tied  not  being  used  by 
^men  or  officers.  In  every  particular  the  dress  confirmed 
oar  conjectures  as  to  his  rank  or  office  in  the  late  expedi- 
tion,—the  blue  jacket  with  slashed  sleeves  and  braided 
casing,  and  the  pilot-cloth  great-coat  with  plain  covered 
battODs.    We  found,  also,  a  clothes-brush  near,  and  a  horn 


t-. 


-3 


iU 


n  ^*' 


I  1-^f 


St  M 


it 


214 


VAGUENESS  OP  INFORMATION.         Chap.  Xiv. 


pocket-comb.    This  poor  man  seems  to  have  selected  the ! 
bare  ridge  top,  as  affording  the  least  tiresome  walking,  and 
to  have  fallen  upon  his  face  in  the  position  in  which  we| 
foand  him.  >*^        . 

It  was  a  melancholy  truth  that  the  old  woman  spoke  I 
when  she  said,  "  they  fell  down  and  died  as  they  walked  | 
along."  •    •    1 

I  do  not  think  the  Esquimaux  had  discovered  this  skele- 
ton, or  they  would  have  carried  off  the  brush  and  comb ;  su- 
perstition prevents  them  from  disturbing  their  own  dead, 
but  would  not  keep  them  from  appropriating  the  property  I 
of  the  white  man,  if  in  any  way  useful  to  them.  Dr.  Rae 
obtained  a  piece  of  flannel,  marked  "  F.  D.  V.,  1846,"  from  ] 
the  Esquimaux  of  Boothia  or  Repulse  iBay  :  it  had  doubt- 
less been  a  part  of  poor  Des  Voeux's  garments. 

At  the  time  of  our  interview  with  the  natives  of  King| 
William's  Island,  Petersen  was  inclined  to  think  that  the 
retreat  of  the  crews  took  place  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  some  j 
of  the  men  in  boats,  and  others  walking  along  the  shore; 
and  as  only  five  bodies  are  said  to  have  been  found  upon  j 
Montreal  Island  with  the  boat,  this  fact  favored  his  opinion, 
because  so  small  a  number  could  not  have  dragged  her 
there  over  the  ice,  although  they  could  very  easily  have  j 
taken   her    there  by  water.      Subsequently  this  opinion 
proved  erroneous.     I  mention  it  because  it  shows  how  vague 
our  information  was — indeed  all  Esqu'maux  accounts  are 
naturally  so — and  how  entirely  we  were  dependent  upon 
our  own  exertions  for  bringing  to  light  the  mystery  of  their  j 
fate. 

The  information  obtained  by  Dr.  Rae  was  mainly  derived 
second-hand  from  the  Fish  River  Esquimaux,  and  should 
not  be  confounded  with  that  received  by  us  from  the  King 
William's  Island  Esquimaux.  These  people  told  us  they 
did  not  find  the  bodies  of  the  white  men  (that  is,  they  did 
not  know  any  had  died  upon  the  march)  until  the  following 


Chap.  XIV. 

re  selected  the 
e  walking,  and  I 
I  in  which  we  | 

woman  spoke  j 
IS  they  walked ' 

red  this  skele- 
tnd  comb;  sii- 1 
eir  own  dead, 
the  property  I 
lem.     Dr.  Rae  | 
^  1845,"  from 
it  had  doubt- i 

-tives  of  King  I 
^hink  that  the 
the  year,  sorae| 
ng  the  shore; 
in  found  upon 
'ed  his  opinion, 
5  dragged  her| 
jry  easily  have 
'   this  opinion 
ows  how  vague  I 
:  accounts  are  I 
ipendent  upon 
lystery  of  their 

mainly  derived 
K,  and  should 
rom  the  King 
e  told  us  they 
it  is,  they  did 
I  the  following 


:-^) 


■!,';!.* 


,!V; 


||ir,1859. 

finter.  Tl 
rtfly  spring 
liiiittbey  mi 
liearch  of  sei 

Tbe  rema 
[itry  probab 
lider  their  d 

Along  th 
tbe  mainlan 
of  meeting  i 
jiBOW  buts,  I 
fonseqaentl; 
oar  further 
they  seek  tli 
Ithe  reindeer 

Hobson 
kopedto  fii 
ling  some  pi< 
the  intervep 
ble  hope  1 1 
ion's  conspi 
perhaps  15( 
the  low  stoi 
there  was  c 
heaped  np, 
poind  this  p 
m  party  w 
by  tbe  cairi 
loo,  where 
of  their  owi 
tcieDtific  jo 

Simpson 
cairn,  nor  y 
to  find  it  if 
iMice  "  pon 


|ir,1850. 


SIMPSON'S  CAIRN. 


215 


Ifinter.  This  is  probably  trne,  as  it  is  only  in  winter  and 
tarly  spring  they  can  travel  oferland  to  the  west  shore,  or 
Itliflttiiey  make  a  practice  of  wandering  along  the  shore  in 
lifircli  of  seals  and  bears. 

The  remains  of  those  who  died  in  the  Fish  River  may 
htrj  probably  have  been  discovered  in  the  summer  shortly 
lifter  their  decease. 

Along  the  sonth  coast  of  King  William's  Land,  as  upon 

lilie  mainland,  I  was  sadly  disappointed  in  my  expectation 

ofnieeting  natives.     We  foand  only  six  or  eight  deserted 

Hov  huts,  showing  that  they  had  recently  been  here,  and 

lnonseqaently  there  was  less  chance  of  meeting  with  them  on 

loor  further  progress,  as  the  season  had  now  arrived  wheR 

|lhey  seek  the  rivers  and  the  favorite  haunts  and  passes  of 

^e  reindeer  in  their  northern  migration. 

Hobson  was,  however,  upon  the  western  coast,  and  I 
jioped  to  find  a  note  left  for  me  at  Cape  Herschel,  coutain- 

;some  piece  of  good  news.     After  minutely  examining 

intervening  coast-line,  it  was  with  strong  and  reasona- 
Ible  hope  I  ascended  the  slope  which  is  crowned  by  Simp- 
Iiod's  conspicuous  cairn.  This  summit  of  Cape  Herschel  is 
Iperhaps  150  feet  high,  and  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  within 
Ithe  low  stony  point  which  projects  from  it,  and  on  which 
Itherfc  was  considerable  ice  pressure  and  a  few  hummocks 
Ibped  up,  the  first  we  had  seen  for  three  weeks.  Close 
IronDdthis  point,  or  by  cutting  across  it  as  we  did,  the  retreat- 
m  party  must  have  passed  ;  and  the  opportunity  afforded 
Ibj  the  cairn  of  depositing  in  a  known  position — and  that, 
Itoo,  where  their  own  discoveries  terminated — some  record 
of  their  own  proceedings,  or,  it  might  be,  a  portion  of  their 
jtcieotific  journals,  would  scarcely  have  been  disregarded. 

Simpson  makes  no  mention  of  having  left  a  record  in  this 
him,  nor  would  Franklin's  people  have  taken  any  trouble 
Ito  find  it  if  be  had  left  one  ;  but  what  now  remained  of  this 
once  "  pondrous  cairn''  was  only  four  feet  high ;  the  south 


!!;•  (',  4 


';,!■ 


t'J 


u 


k 


;i>  w 


WA 


(lr>.i|J!Br.-j 


2U 


FRUITLBSS  BBABOn. 


CiAF.  xnr. 


Bide  had  been  polled  down  and  the  central  stones  rerooTfd, 
as  if  by  persons  seeking  for  something  deposited  benvsth. 
After  removinflf  the  snow  with  which  it  was  filled,  andafe? 
loose  stones,  the  men  laid  bare  a  large  slab  of  limestone ; 
with  difBcalty  this  was  removed,  then  a  second,  and  also  i 
third  slab,  when  they  came  to  the  gronnd.  For  some  tine 
we  persevered  with  a  pickaxe,  in  breaking  np  the  frozen 
earth,  but  nothing  whatever  was  fonnd,  nor  any  trace  of 
European  visitors  in  its  vicinity.  There  were  many  old 
caches  and  low  stone  waHs,  such  as  natives  would  nse  to 
lurk  behind  for  the  purpose  of  shooting  reindeer ;  and  we 
noticed  some  recent  tracks  of  those  animals  whicli  hid  I 
crossed  direct  hither  from  the  mainlMid. 


Mat.  lilt. 


THB  OAIRN  BMPTT. 


tlT 


■'k 


CHAPTER   XV. 

lb*  cairn  found  emptj— Diioover  Hobaon'i  letter — DUoorery  of  Cro. 
iter's  record — The  deierted  boat — Artieles  diicoyered  nbout  the  boat-- 
The  akeleton  and  relics — The  boat  belonged  to  the  '  Erebus' — Conjee- 
tures. 


As  the  Esquimaux  of  this  land,  as  well  as  those  of 
Boothia  and  Pond's  Inlet,  have  long  since  given  up  the 
practice  of  building  Htone  dwellings — passing  their  winters 
in  snow  huts,  and  summers  in  tents — no  other  traces  of  them 
than  those  described  remain ;  so  that  when  or  in  what  num- 
bers they  may  have  been  here  one  cannot  form  any  opinion, 
tiie  same  caches  and  hiding-places  serving  for  generations. 

I  cannot  divest  myself  of  the  belief  that  some  record  was 
left  here  by  the  retreating  crews,  and  perhaps  some  most 
Taluable  documents  which  their  slow  progress  and  fast 
failing  strength  would  have  assured  them  could  not  be  car- 
ried much  further.  If  any  such  were  left  they  have  been 
discovered  by  the  natives,  and  carried  off,  or  thrown  away 
us  worthless.  Doubtless  the  natives,  when  they  ascertained 
that  famine  and  fatigue  had  caused  many  of  the  white  men 
"  to  fall  down  and  die"  upon  their  fearful  march,  and  heard, 
as  they  might  have  done,  of  its  fatal  termination  upon  the 
mainland,  lost  no  time  in  following  up  their  traces,  examin- 
ing every  spot  where  they  halted,  every  mark  they  put  up, 
or  stone  displaced. 

It  is  easy  to  tell  whether  a  cairn  has  been  put  up  or 
touched  within  a  moderate  period  of  years ;  if  very  old, 
the  outer  stones  have  a  weathered  appearance,  lichens  will 
have  grown  upon  the  sheltered  portions  and  moss  in  the 


(  >."*i 
*  ^m 


S18 


INTEREST  ATTACHING  TO  THE  CAIRN.     Cbap.  XV 


crevices  ;  bnt  if  recently  disturbed,  even  if  a  single  stone  is 
turned  upside  down,  these  appearances  are  altered.  If  a 
cairn  has  been  recently  bnilt  it  will  be  evident,  because  the 
stones  picked  up  from  the  neighborhood  would  be  bleached 
on  top-by  the  exposure  of  centuries,  whilst  underneath  they 
would  be  colored  by  the  soil  in  which  they  were  imbedded. 

To  the  eye  of  the  native  hunter  these  marks  of  a  receiit 
rinrn  are  at  once  apparent :  and  unless  Simpson's  caiiii 
(built  in  1839)  had  been  disturbed  by  Crozier,  I  do  not 
think  the  Esquimaux  would  have  been  at  the  trouble  of 
pulling  it  down  to  plunder  the  cache ;  but  having  com- 
menced to  do  so,  would  not  have  left  any  of  it  standing, 
unless  they  found  what  they  sought. 
'  I  noticed  with  great  care  the  appearance  of  the  stones, 
and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  cairn  itself  was  of  old 
date,  and  had  been  erected  many  years  ago,  and  that  it  wus 
reduced  to  the  state  in  which  we  found  it  by  people  having 
broken  down  one  side  of  it ;  the  displaced  stones,  from 
being  turned  over,  looking  far  more  fresh  than  those  in  that 
portion  of  the  cairn  which  had  been  left  standing.  It  was 
with  a  feeling  of  deep  regret  and  much  disappointment  that 
I  left  this  spot  without  finding  some  certain  record  of  those 
martyrs  to  their  country's  fame.  Perhaps  in  all  the  wide 
world  there  will  be  few  spots  more  hallowed  in  the  recollec- 
tion of  English  seamen  than  this  cairn  on  Cape  Hcrscliel. 

A  few  miles  beyond  Cape  Herschel  the  land  becom«« 
very  low ;  many  islets  and  shingle-ridges  lie  far  off  the 
coast ;  and  as  we  advanced  we  met  with  hummocks  of  un- 
usually heavy  ice,  showing  plainly  that  we  were  now  travel- 
ling upon  a  far  more  exposed  part  of  the  coast-line.  We 
were  approaching  a  spot  where  a  revelation  of  intense  in- 
terest was  awaiting  me. 

About  12  miles  from  Cape  Herschel  I  found  a  small 
Cftim  built  by  Hobson's  party,  and  containing  a  note  for 
me.     He  had  reached  this  his  extreme  point,  six  days  pre* 


Mat,  1859.  DISCOVERY  OF  GORE'S  RECORD. 


219 


rioasly,  without  haying  seen  anything  of  the  wreck,  or  of 
natives,  but  he  had  found  a  record — the  record  so  ardently 
sought  for,  of  the  Franklin  Expedition — at  Point  Victory, 
on  the  N.  W.  coast  of  King  William's  Land 

That  record  is  indeed  a  sad  and  touching  relic  of  our 
lost  friends,  and,  to  simplify  its  contents,  I  will  point  out 
separately  the  double  story  it  so  briefly  tells.  In  the  first 
i>lacc,  the  record  paper  was  one  of  the  printed  forms  usually 
supplied  to  discovery  ships  for  the  purpose  of  being  enclosed 
in  bottles  and  thrown  overboard  at  sea,  in  order  to  ascer- 
tain the  set  of  the  currents,  blanks  being  left  for  the  date 
and  position  ;  any  person  finding  one  of  these  records  is 
requested  to  forward  it  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Admiralty, 
with  a  note  of  time  and  place ;  and  this  request  is  printed 
apon  it  in  six  different  languages.  Upon  it  was  written 
apparently  by  Lieutenant  Gore,  as  follows  : 


:i  rm 


Mi; 


"28  of  Mny,     f  H.-M.  ships  •  Erebus'  and  'Terror'  wintered  in  the  ice  ia 
1S47.  1  lat  700  oy  n.;  long.  98°  23'  W. 

Having  wintered  in  1846-7  at  Beecbey  Island,  in  lat.  74«»  43'  28"  N.; 
long.  91°  39^  15"  W.,  after  having  ascended  Wellington  Channel  to  lat 
77°,  and  returned  by  the  west  side  of  Cornwallis  Island. 
"  Sir  John  Franklin  commanding  the  expedition. 
"All  well. 

"  Party  consisting  of  2  officers  and  6  men  left  the  ships  on  Monday, 
24tb  May,  1847. 

"  Gm.  Ogre,  Lieut. 

"Chas.  F.  De8V(eus,  Mate." 

There  i^  an  error  in  the  above  document,  namely,  that 
tlie  '  Erebus*  and  '  Terror*  wintered  at  Beechey  Island  in 
1846-7, — the  correct  dates  should  have  been  1845-6 ;  a 
glance  at  the  date  at  the  top  and  bottom  of  the  record 
proves  this,  but  in  all  other  respects  the  tale  is  told  in  as 
few  words  as  possible  of  their  wonderful  success  up  to  that 
date,  May,  1847. 

We  find  that,  after  the  last  intelligence  of  Sir  John 


^^V'-m 


'.n^'i 


220 


GORE'S  RECORD. 


Chap.  XV 


Franklin  was  received  by  as  (bearing  date  of  July,  1845), 
from  the  whalers  in  Melville  Bay,  that  his  Expedition 
passed  on  to  Lancaster  Sound,  and  entered  Wellington 
Channel,  of  which  the  southern  entrance  had  been  dis- 
covered by  Sir  Edward  Parry  in  1819.  The  'Erebus' 
and  '  Terror'  sailed  up  that  strait  for  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles,  and  reached  in  the  autumn  of  1845  the  same  latitude 
as  was  attained  eight  years  subsequently  by  H.  M.  S.  'As* 
sistance'  and  '  Pioneer.'  Whether  Franklin  intended  to 
pursue  this  northern  course,  and  was  only  stopped  by  ice 
in  that  latitude  of  77^  north,  or  purposely  relinquished  a 
route  which  seemed  to  lead  away  from  the  known  seas  off 
the  coast  of  America,  must  be  a  matter  of  opinion ;  but 
this  the  document  assures  of,  that  Sir  John  Franklin's  Ex- 
pedition, having  accomplished  this  examination,  returned 
southward  from  latitude  tT*^  north,  which  is  at  the  head  of 
Wellington  Channel,  and  re-entered  Barrow's  Strait  by  a 
new  channel  between  Bathurst  and  Cornwallis  Islands. 

Seldom  has  such  an  amount  of  success  been  accorded  to 
an  Arctic  navigator  in  a  single  season,  and  when  the  '  Ere- 
bus' and  *  Terror'  were  secured  at  Beechey  Island  for  the 
coming  winter  of  1845-6,  the  results  of  their  first  year's 
labor  must  have  been  most  cheering.  These  results  were 
the  exploration  of  Wellington  and  Queen's  Channel,  and 
the  addition  to  our  charts  of  the  extensive  lands  on  either 
hand.  In  1846  they  proceeded  to  the  southwest,  and  eventu- 
ally reached  within  twelve  miles  of  the  north  extreme  of 
King  William's  Land,  when  their  progress  was  arrested  by 
the  approaching  winter  of  1846--Y.  That  winter  appears 
to  have  passed  without  any  serious  loss  of  life ;  and  when 
in  the  spring  Lieutenant  Gore  leaves  with  a  party  for  some 
especial  purpose,  and  very  probably  to  connect  the  unknown 
coast-line  of  King  William's  Land  between  Point  Victory 
and   Cape   Herschel,  those  on   board  the   'Erebus'  and 


Mjit,  1859.         DISCOVERY  OP  CROZIER'S  RECORD. 


221 


'Terror'  were  "all  well,"  and  the   gallant  Franklin  still 
commanded. 

But,  alas !  round  the  margin  of  the  paper  upon  which 
Lieutenant  Gore  in  1847  wrote  those  words  of  hope  and 
promise,  another  hand  had  subsequently  written  the  follow- 
ing words  : — 


I 


1 

r  . 

.1 


il 


"April  25,  1848.— H.  M.  ships  'Terror'  and  'Erebus' 
were  deserted  on  the  22d  April,  5  leagues  N.  N.  W.  of  this, 
having  been  beset  since  12th  September,  1846.  The  oflB- 
cers  and  crews,  cousisting  of  105  souls,  under  the  command 
of  Captain  P.  R.  M.  Crozier,  landed  here  in  lat.'  69°  SI' 
42"  N.,  long.  98°  41'  W.  Sir  John  Franklin  died  on  the 
nth  June,  1847  ;  and  the  total  loss  by  deaths  in  the  expe- 
dition has  been  to  this  date  9  officers  and  15  men. 
(Signed)  ^         (Signed) 

"F.  R.  M.  Crozieb,  "James  Fitzjames, 

"  Captain  and  Senior  Officer.      "  Captain  H.  M.  S.  Erebua 

"and  start  (on)  to-morrow,  26th,  for 
Back's  Fish  River." 

The  marginal  information  was  evidently  written  by  Cap- 
tain Fitzjames,  excepting  only  the  note  stating  when  and 
where  they  were  going,  which  was  added  by  Captain  Cro- 
zier. 

There  is  some  additional  marginal  information  relative  to 
the  transfer  of  the  document  to  its  present  position  (viz., 
the  site  of  Sir  James  Ross's  pillar)  from  a  spot  four  miles 
to  the  northward,  near  Point  Victory,  where  it  had  been 
originally  deposited  by  the  late  Commander  Gore.  This 
little  word  late  shows  us  that  he  too,  within  the  twelve- 
month, had  passed  away.  ^ 

In  the  short  space  of  twelve  months  how  mournful  had 
become  the  history  of  Franklin's  expedition ;  how  changed 
from  the  cheerful  "  All  well"  of  Graham  Gore !    The  spring 


r-: 


l^J 


t  I'l'- 


u\ 


I- 


rt 


t   <H>| 


I    'A 


i 


222 


DISCREPANCY  IN  THE  RECORD. 


Chap.  XV 


of  1847  found  them  within  90  miles  of  the  known  sea  off 
the  coast  of  America ;  and  to  men  who  had  already  in  two 
seasons  sailed  over  500  miles  of  previously  unexplored  wa< 
ters,  how  confident  mnst  thej  have  felt  that  that  forthcoming 
navigable  season  of  1847  would  see  their  ships  pass  over 
so  short  an  intervening  space  I  It  was  ruled  otherwise. 
Within  a  month  after  Lieutenant  Gore  placed  the  record  on 
Point  Victory,  the  much-loved  leader  of  the  expedition,  Sir 
John  Franklin,  was  dead  ;  and  the  following  spring  found 
Captain  Crozier,  upon  whom  the  command  had  devolved  at 
King  William's  Land,  endeavoring  to  save  his  starving  raen, 
105  souls  in  all,  from  a  terrible  death,  by  retreating  to  the 
Hudson  Bay  territories  up  the  Back  or  Great  Fish  River. 

A  sad  tale  was  never  told  in  fewer  words.  There  is  some- 
thing  deeply  touching  in  their  extreme  simplicity,  and  they 
Bhcw  in  the  strongest  manner  that  both  the  leaders  of  this 
retreating  party  were  actuated  by  the  loftiest  sense  of  duty, 
and  met  with  calmness  and  decision  the  fearful  alternative 
of  a  last  bold  struggle  for  life,  rather  than  perish  without 
effort  on  board  their  ships ;  for  we  well  know  that  the  '  Ere- 
bus' and  'Terror'  were  only  provisioned  up  to  July,  1848. 

Another  discrepancy  exists  in  the  second  part  of  the  re- 
cord written  by  Fitzjames.  The  original  number  composing 
the  expedition  was  138  souls,*  and  the  record  states  the 
total  loss  by  deaths  to  have  been  9  officers  and  15  men, 
consequently  that  114  officers  and  men  remained;  but  it 
also  states  that  105  only  landed  under  Captain  Crozier's 
command,  so  that  9  individuals  are  unaccounted  for. 

Lieutenant  Hobson's  note  told  me  that  he  found  quanti- 
ties of  clothing  and  articles  of  all  kinds  lying  about  the 
cairn,  as  if  these  men,  aware  that  they  were  retreating  for 
their  lives,  had  there  abandoned  every  thing  which  they  con- 
sidered superfluous. 


*  See  Conclusion,  p. 


Mat,  185« 


CAPE  CROZIER. 


223 


Hobson  had  experienced  extremely  bad  weather — constant 
gales  and  fogs — and  thought  he  might  have  passed  the 
wreck  without  seeing  her;  he  hoped  to  be  more  successful 
upon  his  return  journey. 

Encouraged  by  this  important  news,  w^e  exerted  our  ut 
most  vigilance  in  order  that  no  trace  should  escape  us. 

Our  provisions  were  running  very  short,  therefore  the 
three  remaining  puppies  were  of  necessity  shot,  and  their 
sledges  used  for  fuel.  We  were  also  enabled  to  lengthen 
oor  journeys,  as  we  had  very  smooth  ice  to  travel  over,  the 
off-lying  islets  keeping  the  rough  pack  from  pressing  la 
upon  the  shore. 

Upon  the  29th  of  May  we  reached  the  western  extreme 
of  King  William's  Island,  in  lat.  69^  08'  N.,  and  long. 
100°  08'  W.  I  named  it  after  Captain  Crozier  of  the 
'Terror,'  the  gallant  leader  of  that  "Forlorn  Hope  "  of 
which  we  now  just  obtained  tidings.  The  coast  we  marched 
along  was  extremely  low — a  mere  series  of  ridges  of  lime- 
stone shingle,  aim  st  destitute  of  fossils.  The  only  tracks 
of  amimals  seen  were  those  of  a  bear  and  a  few  foxes — the- 
only  living  creatures  a  few  willow  grouse.  Traces  even  of 
the  wandering  Esquimaux  became  much  less  frequent  after 
leaving  Cape  Herschel.  Here  were  found  only  a  few  circles 
of  stones,  the  sites  of  tenting-places,  but  so  moss-grown  as 
to  be  of  great  age.  The  prospect  to  seaward  was  not  less 
forbidding — a  rugged  surface  of  crushed-up  pack,  including 
much  heavy  ice.  In  these  shallow  ice-covered  seas,  seals 
are  but  seldom  found :  and  it  is  highly  probable  that  all 
animal  life  in  them  is  as  scarce  as  upon  the  land. 

From  Cape  Crozier  the  coast-line  was  found  to  turn 
sharply  away  to  the  eastward ;  and  early  in  the  morning  of 
the  30th  May  we  encamped  alongside  a  large  boat — another 
melancholy  relic  which  Hobson  had  found  and  examined  a 
few  days  before,  as  his  note  left  here  informed  me :  but  he 


Vm 


wn 


224 


DESERTED  BOkT. 


Chap.  XV. 


bad  failed  to  discover  record,  journal,  pocket-book,  or  mem< 
orandum  of  any  description. 

A  vast  quantity  of  tattered  clotbing  was  lying  in  her,  and 
this  we  first  examined.  Not  a  single  article  bore  the  name 
of  its  former  owner.  The  boat  was  cleared  out  and  care* 
fully  swept  that  nothing  might  escape  us.  The  snow  was 
then  removed  from  about  her,  but  nothing  whatever  was 
found. 

This  boat  measured  28  feet  long,  and  7  feet  3  inches  wide ; 
she  was  built  with  a  view  to  lightness  and  light  draught  of 
water,  and  evidently  equipped  with  the  utmost  care  for  tho 
ascent  of  the  Great  Fish  River ;  she  had  neither  oars  nor 
rudder,  paddles  supplying  their  place,  and  as  a  large  rem- 
nant of  light  canvas,  commonly  known  as  No.  8,  was  found, 
and  also  a  small  block  for  reeving  a  sheet  through,  I  sup- 
pose she  had  been  provided  with  a  sail.  A  sloping  canvas 
roof  or  rain-awning  had  also  formed  part  of  her  equipment. 
She  was  fitted  with  a  weather-cloth  9  inches  high,  battened 
down  all  round  the  gunwale,  and  supported  by  24  iron 
stanchions,  so  placed  as  to  serve  likewibs  for  rowing 
thowells.  There  were  50  fathoms  of  deep-sea  sounding-line 
near  her,  as  well  as  an  ice  grapnel.  She  appeared  to  have 
been  originally  "  carvel "  built ;  but  for  the  purpose  of  re- 
ducing weight,  very  thin  fir  planks  had  been  substituted  for 
her  seven  upper  strakes,  and  put  on  "  clincher ''  fashion. 

The  weight  of  the  boat  alone  was  about  700  or  800  lbs. 
only,  but  she  was  mounted  upon  a  sledge  of  unusual  weight 
and  strength.  It  was  constructed  of  two  oak  planks  23 
feet  4  inches  in  length,  8  inches  in  width,  and  with  an  aver- 
age thickness  of  2^  inches.  These  planks  formed  the  sides 
or  runners  of  the  sledge ;  they  were  connected  by  five  cross 
bars  of  oak,  each  5  feet  long,  and  4  inches  by  3|  inches 
thick,  and  bolted  down  to  the  ruuners;  the  underneath 
parts  of  the  latter  were  shod  with  iron.  Upon  the  cross- 
bars five  saddles  or  supporting  chocks  for  the  boat  were 


Kat,  1859. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  BOAT. 


225 


lashed,  and  the  drag-ropes  by  which  the  crew  moTed  this 
massive  sledge,  and  the  weights  upon  it,  consisted  of  2| 
jDch  whale  line. 

I  have  calculated  the  weight  of  this  sledge  to  be  650  lbs. ; 
it  could  not  have  been  less,  and  may  have  been  considerably 
more.  The  total  weight  of  boat  and  sledge  may  be  taken 
at  1400  lbs.,  which  amoants  to  a  heavy  load  for  seven 
strong  healthy  men. 

The  only  markings  about  the  boat  were  those  upon  her 
«tem,  by  which  we  learned  that  she  was  built  by  contract, 


was  received  into  Woolwich  Dockyard  in  April,  184  ,*  ana 
was  numbered  61.  There  may  have  been  a  fourth  figure  to 
tiie  right  hand,  as  the  stem  had  been  reduced  in  order  to 
lighten  the  boat.  The  ground  the  sledge  rested  upon  was 
the  usual  limestone  shingle,  perfectly  flat,  and  probably 
averflowed  at  times  every  summer,  as  the  stones  were  im- 
bedded in  ice. 

The  boat  was  partially  out  of  her  cradle  upon  the  sledge, 
and  lying  in  such  a  position  as  to  lead  me  to  suppose  it  the 

*  Only  the  first  three  figures  of  the  date  upon  her  stem  remained,  thai 
-184 . 

16 


.''.'t     f  •-■'ill 


Ji's^l! 


226 


SKELETONS  AND  RELICS. 


CUAP.  XV. 


offect  of  a  violent  northwest  gale.     She  vras  barely,  if  at 
•ill,  above  the  reach  of  occasional  tides. 

One  hundrnd  yards  from  her,  upon  the  land  side,  lay  the 
stamp  of  a  Hr-trcc  12  feet  long,  and  16  inches  in  diameter 
at  3  feet  above  the  roots.  Although  the  ice  had  used  it 
roughly  during  its  drift  to  this  shore,  and  rubbed  off  every 
vestige  of  bark,  yet  the  wood  was  perfectly  sound.  It  may 
have  been  and  probably  has  been  lying  there  for  twenty  or 
thirty  years,  and  during  such  a  period  would  suffer  less  de- 
cay iu  this  region  of  frost  than  in  one-sixth  of  the  time  at 
home.  Within  two  yards  of  it  I  noticed  a  few  scanty  tufts 
of  grass. 

But  all  these  were  after  observations ;  there  was  that  io 
the  boat  which  transfixed  us  with  awe.  It  was  portions  of 
two  human  skeletons.  One  was  that  of  a  slight  young 
person  ;  the  other  of  a  large,  strongly-raade,  middle-aged 
man.  The  former  was  found  in  the  bow  of  the  boat,  but  in 
too  much  disturbed  a  state  to  enable  Hobson  to  judge 
whether  the  sufferer  had  died  there ;  large  and  powerful 
animals,  probably  wolves,  had  destroyed  much  of  this  skele- 
ton, which  may  have  been  that  of  an  officer.  Near  it  we 
found  the  fragment  of  a  pair  of  worked  slip- 
^^  pers,  of  which  I  give  the  pattern,  as  they  may 
"^^  possibly  be  identified.  The  lines  were  white 
with  a  black  margin ;  the  spaces  white,  red, 
and  yellow.  They  had  originally  been  11 
inches  long,  lined  with  calf-skin  with  the  hair  left  on,  and 
the  edges  bound  with  red  silk  ribbon.  Besides  these  slip- 
pers there  were  a  pair  of  small  strong  shooting  half-boots. 
The  other  skeleton  was  in  a  somewhat  more  perfect  state,* 
and  was  enveloped  with  clothes  and  furs ;  it  lay  across  the 
boat,  under  the  after-thwart.  Close  beside  it  were  found 
five  watches  ;  and  there  were  two  double-barrelled  guns— 


*  No  part  of  the  ekuU  of  either  skeleton  was  found,  with  the  exception 
only  of  the  lower  jaw  of  eaoh. 


May,  1859. 


RELICS  ABOUT   THE  BOAT. 


227 


one  barrel  in  each  loaded  and  cocked  —  standing  tnazzle 
npward  against  the  boat's  side.  It  may  be  imagined  with 
what  deep  interest  these  sad  relics  were  scrutinised,  and  how 
anxiously  every  fragment  of  clothing  was  turned  over  in 
search  of  pockets  and  pocket-boo!: s,  journals,  or  even  names. 
Five  or  six  small  books  were  found,  all  of  them  scriptural 
or  devotional  works,  except  the  '  Vicar  of  Wakefield.'  One 
little  book,  '  Christian  Melodies,'  bore  an  inscription  upon 
the  titlepage  from  the  donor  to  G.  G.  (Graham  Gore  ?)  A 
gmall  Bible  contained  numerous  marginal  notes,  and  whole 
passages  underlined.  Besides  these  books,  the  covers  of  a 
New  Testament  and  Prayerbook  were  found. 

Amongst  an  amazing  quantity  of  clothing  there  were 
seven  or  eight  pairs  of  boots  of  various  kinds  —  cloth 
winter  boots,  sea  boots,  heavy  ankle  boots,  and  strong 
shoes.  I  noted  that  there  were  silk  handkerchiefs  —  black, 
white,  and  figured  —  towels,  soap,  sponge,  tooth-brush,  and 
hair-combs ;  mackintosh  gun-cover,  marked  outside  with 
paint  A  12,  and  lined  with  black  cloth.  Besides  these  arti- 
cles we  found  twine,  nails,  saws,  files,  bristles,  wax-ends, 
sailmakers'  palms,  powder,  bullets,  shot,  cartridges,  wads, 
leather  cartridge-case,  knives  —  clasp  and  dinner  ones  — 
Deedle  and  thread  cases,  slow-match,  several  bayonet-scab- 
bards cut  down  into  knife-sheaths,  two  rolls  of  sheet-lead, 
and,  in  short,  a  quantity  of  articles  of  one  description  and 
another  truly  astonishing  in  variety,  and  such  as,  for  the 
most  part,  modern  sledge-travelers  in  these  regions  would 
consider  a  mere  accumulation  of  dead  weight,  but  slightly 
osefal,  and  very  likely  to  break  down  the  strength  of  the 
riedge-crews.  ,  •      - 

The  only  provisions  we  could  find  were  tea  and  chocolate ; 
of  the  former  very  little  remained,  but  there  were  nearly  40 
pounds  of  the  latter.  These  articles  alone  could  never  sup- 
port life  in  such  a  climate,  and  we  found  neither  biscuit  nor 
meat  of  any  kind.     A  portion  of  tobacco  and  an  empty 


■f  !'■ 


Ik  J  }m 


i^i; 


^m 


228 


RELICS  ABOUT  THE  BOAT. 


Chap.  XV. 


pemmican-tin,  capable  of  containing  22  poands  weight, 
were  discovered.  The  tin  was  marked  with  an  E;  it  htA 
probably  belonged  to  the  'Erebus.'  None  of  the  fuel  origj. 
nally  brought  from  the  ships  remained  in  or  about  the  boat, 
but  there  was  no  lack  of  it,  for  a  drift-tree  was  lying  on  the 
leach  close  at  hand,  and  had  the  party  been  in  need  of  foel 
they  would  have  used  the  paddles  and  bottom-boards  of  the 
boat. 

In  the  after  part  of  the  boat  we  discovered  eleven  large 
spoons,  eleven  forks,  and  four  teaspoons,  all  of  silver;  of 
these  twenty-six  pieces  of  plate,  eight  bore  Sir  John  Frank- 
lin's crest,  the  remainder  had  the  crests  or  initials  of  nine 
different  officers,  with  the  exception  of  a  single  fork  which 
was  not  marked  ;  of  these  nine  officers,  five  belonged  to  the 
•Erebus,' — Gore,  Le  Vesconte,  Fairholme,  Couch,  end 
Goodsir.  Three  others  belonged  to  the  '  Terror,' —  Crozier, 
(a  teaspoon  only,)  Hornby,  and  Thomas.  I  do  not  know 
to  whom  the  three  articles  with  an  owl  engraved  on  thero 
belonged,  nor  who  was  the  owner  of  the  unmarked  fork, 
but  of  the  owners  of  those  we  can  identify,  the  majority 
belonged  to  the  'Erebus.'  One  of  the  watches  bore  the 
crest  of  Mr.  Couch,  of  the  'Erebus,'  and  as  the  pemmican 
tin  also  came  from  that  ship,  I  am  inclined  to  think  the  boat 
did  also ;  the  authorities  at  Woolwich  could  tell  (by  her 
number)  to  which  ship  she  was  supplied ;  and  as  one  of  the 
pocket  chronometers  found  in  the  boat  was  marked,  "Park- 
inson and  Frodsham  980,"  and  the  other  "Arnold  2020," 
it  could  also  be  ascertained  to  which  ship  they  had  been 
issued.* 

Sir  John  Franklin's  plate  perhaps  was  issued  to  the  men 
for  their  use,  as  the  only  means  of  saving  it ;  and  it  seems 
probable  that  the  officers  generally  did  the  same,  as  not  a 

*  These  chronometers,  according  to  the  receipts  in  ofBce,  Trere  supplied 
one  to  each  ship  in  1845 ;  but  it  is  impossible  to  tell  to  which  ship  thi 
boat  belonged,  as  the  number  is  imperfect. 


Mat,  1859. 


CONJECTURES. 


229 


tingle  iron  spoon,  such  as  sailors  always  use,  has  been  found. 
Of  the  many  men,  probably  twenty  or  tliirty,  who  were 
attached  to  this  boat,  it  seemed  most  strange  that  the  re- 
mains of  only  two  individuals  were  found,  nor  were  there 
any  graves  upon  the  neighboring  flat  land  ;  indeed,  bearing 
io  mind  the  season  at  which  these  poor  fellows  left  their 
^bips,  it  should  be  remembered  that  the  soil  was  then  frozen 
hard,  and  the  labor  of  cutting  a  grave  very  great  indeed.     ^ 

I  was  astonished  to  Gnd  that  the  sledge  was  directed  to 
the  X.  E.,  exactly  for  the  next  point  of  land  for  which  we 
oarselvcs  were  travelling  I 

The  position  of  this  abandoned  boat  is  about  50  miles — 
as  a  sledge  would  travel — from  Point  Victory,  and  therefore 
65  miles  from  the  position  of  the  ships ;  also  it  is  70  miles 
from  the  skeleton  of  the  steward,  and  150  miles  from  Mon- 
treal Island ;  it  is  moreover  in  the  depth  of  a  wide  bay, 
▼here,  by  crossing  over  10  or  12  miles  of  very  low  land,  a 
great  saving  of  distance  would  be  effected,  the  route  by  the 
coast-ilne  being  about  40  miles. 

A  little  reflection  led  me  to  satisfy  my  own  mind  at  least, 
that  the  boat  was  returning  to  the  ships  :  and  in  no  other 
way  can  I  account  for  two  men  having  been  left  in  her, 
than  by  supposing  the  party  were  unable  to  drag  the  boat 
farther,  and  that  these  two  men,  not  being  able  to  keep 
pace  with  their  shipmates,  were  therefore  left  by  them  sup- 
plied with  such  provisions  as  could  be  spared,  to  last  until 
the  return  of  the  others  from  the  ship  with  a  fresh  stock. 

Whether  it  was  the  intention  of  the  retroceding  party  to 
await  the  result  of  another  season  in  the  ships,  or  to  follow 
the  track  of  the  main  body  to  the  Great  Fish  River,  is  now 
a  matter  of  conjecture.  It  seems  highly  probable  that  they 
had  purposed  revisiting  the  boat,  not  only  on  account  of 
the  two  men  left  in  charge  of  it,  but  also  to  obtain  th« 
chocolate,  the  five  watches,  and  many  other  articles  which 
Would  otherwise  scarcely  have  been  left  in  her. 


,1    'I.i 


m 


(  * 


M 


If: 


^      -fl! 


ii 


.   1-    'i!     fl-l 


■'-■ft ; 


■''■  J. 


;  ^■(•'  .|tf 

■Mm 


m4 


SiSO 


POINT  FRANKLIN 


CnAP.  XV 


The  same  reasons  which  may  be  assigned  for  the  return 
of  this  detachment  from  the  main  body,  will  also  serve  to 
accoant  for  their  not  having  come  back  to  their  boat.  In 
both  instances  they  appear  to  have  greatly  overrated  their 
strength,  and  the  distance  they  could  travel  in  a  given 
time. 

Taking  this  view  of  the  case,  we  can  understand  wh; 
their  provisions  would  not  last  them  for  anything  like  the 
distance  they  required  to  travel ;  and  why  they  would  be 
obliged  to  send  back  to  the  ships  for  more,  first  taking  from 
the  detached  party  all  provisions  they  could  possibly  spare. 
Whether  all  or  any  of  the  remainder  of  this  detached  party 
ever  reached  their  ships  is  uncertain ;  all  wo  know  is,  that 
they  did  not  revisit  the  boat,  and  which  accounts  for  the 
absence  of  more  skeletons  in  its  neighborhood,  and  the 
Esquimaux  report  that  there  was  no  one  alive  in  the  ship 
when  she  drifted  on  shore,  and  that  but  one  human  body 
was  found  by  them  on  board  of  her. 

After  leaving  the  boat  we  followed  an  irregular  coast* 
line  to  the  N.  and  N.  W.,  up  to  a  very  prominent  cape, 
which  is  probably  the  extreme  of  land  &een  from  Point  Yic* 
tory  by  Sir  James  Boss,  and  named  by  him  Point  Frank- 
lin, which  name,  as  a  cape,  it  still  retains. 

I  need  hardly  say  that  throughout  the  whole  of  my  jour- 
ney  along  the  shores  of  King  William's  Land  I  caused  a 
most  vigilant  look-out  to  be  kept  to  seaward  for  any  ap- 
pearance of  the  stranded  ship  spoken  of  by  the  natives :  oor 
March  was  however  fruitless  in  that  respect. 


■3(1' 


1M9 


POINT  VIOTOBT. 


Ml 


I  . . 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

Errori  in  Franklin's  reoorda — Relioi  found  at  the  oairn — Rofloctioni  on 
the  retreat — Returning  homeward— >Oeological  remarlcs — Difficulties  of 
lummer  sledging — Arrive  on  board  the  '  Fox' — Navigable  N.  W.  Pai> 
lage — Death  from  scurvy — Anxiety  for  Captain  Young — Young  returns 

On  the  morning  of  2nd  Jane  we  reached  Point  Yietory. 
Here  Hobson's  note  left  for  me  in  the  cairn  informed  me 
that  he  had  not  found  the  slightest  trace  either  of  a  wreclc 
anywhere  upon  the  coast,  or  of  natives  to  the  north  of  Cape 
Crozier. 

Although  somewhat  short  of  provisions,  I  determined  to 
remain  a  day  here  in  order  to  examine  an  opening  at  the 
Bottom  of  Back  Bay,  called  so  after  Sir  George  Back,  by 
his  friend  Sir  James  Ross,  and  which  had  not  been  ex- 
plored. This  proved  to  be  an  inlet  nearly  13  miles  deep, 
with  an  average  width  of  1^  or  2  miles;  I  drove  round  it 
apon  the  dog  sledge,  but  found  no  trace  of  human  beings ; 
it  was  filled  with  heavy  old  ice,  and  was  therefore  unfavor- 
able for  the  resort  of  seals,  and  consequently  of  natives 
also. 

The  direction  of  the  inlet  is  to  the  E.  S.  E. ;  we  found 
the  land  on  either  side  rose  as  we  advanced  up  it,  and 
attained  a  considerable  elevation,  except  immediately  across 
its  head,  where  alone  it  was  very  low ;  I  have  conferred 
upon  it  the  name  of  Collinson,  after  one  who  will  ever  be 
distinguished  in  connection  with  the  Franklin  search,  and 
who  kindly  relieved  Lady  Franklin  of  much  trouble  by 
taking  upon  himself  the  financial  business  of  this  expedi* 
tioD. 


I 

i 

i 

I, 

'■■4 


t 


I 


ass 


REFLECTIONS  ON  RECORDS. 


Chap.  XVL 


An  extensive  bay,  westward  of  Cape  Herscbel,  I  have 
named  after  Captain  Washington,  the  hydrographer,  a 
steadfast  supporter  of  this  final  seerch. 

All  the  intermediate  coast-Iinc,  along  which  the  retreat* 
ing  crews  performed  their  fearful  march,  is  sacred  to  their 
names  alone. 

Hobson's  note  informed  me  of  his  having  found  a  t>ccuud 
record,  deposited  also  by  Lieutenant  Gore  in  May,  1841, 
upon  the  south  side  of  Back  Bay,  but  it  afforded  no  addi- 
tional information. 

It  is  strange  that  both  these  papers  state  the  ships  to 
have  wintered  in  1846-7  at  Beechey  Island  I  So  obvious 
a  mistake  would  hardly  have  been  made  had  any  importance 
been  attached  to  these  documents.  They  were  soldered  up 
in  thin  tin  cylinders,  having  been  filled  up  on  board  prior 
to  the  departure  of  the  travellers;  consequently  the  day 
npon  which  they  were  deposited  was  not  filled  in  ;  but  already 
the  papers  were  much  damaged  by  rust, — a  very  few  more 
years  would  have  rendered  them  wholly  illegible.  When 
the  record  left  at  Poin*  Victory  was  opened  to  add  thereto 
the  supplemental  information  which  gives  it  its  chief  value, 
Captain  Fitzjames,  as  may  be  concluded  by  the  color  of  the 
ink,  filled  in  the  date — 28th — in  May,  when  the  record  was 
originally  deposited.  The  cylinder  containing  the  record 
had  not  been  soldered  up  again  ;  I  suppose  they  had  not 
the  means  of  doing  so  ;  it  was  found  on  the  ground  amongst 
a  few  loose  stones  which  had  evidently  fallen  along  with  it 
from  the  top  of  the  cai;n.  Hobson  removed  every  stone  of 
this  cairn  down  to  the  ground  and  rebuilt  it. 

Brief  as  these  records  are,  we  must  needs  be  contented 
with  them  ;  they  are  perfect  models  of  official  brevity.  No 
log-book  could  be  more  provokingly  laconic.  Yet,  that 
any  record  at  all  should  be  deposited  after  the  abandor  ment 
of  the  ships,  does  not  seem  to  have  been  intended;  and  we 
tthould  feel  the  more  thankful  to  Captains  Crozier  and  Fits* 


JcRi,  1859. 


RELICS  AT  THE  CAIRN. 


283 


James,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  the  invaluable  supple* 
ment ;  and  our  gratitude  ought  to  be  all  the  greater  when 
we  remember  that  the  ink  had  to  be  thawed,  and  that  writ- 
ing in  a  tent  during  an  April  day  in  the  Arctic  regions  is 
by  no  meons  an  easy  task. 

Besides  placing  a  copy  of  the  record  taken  away  by  Hob- 
son  from  the  cairn,  we  both  put  records  of  our  own  in  it ; 
and  I  also  buried  one  under  a  large  stone  ten  feet  true 
north  from  it,  stating  the  explorations  and  discoveries  we 
had  made. 

A  great  quantity  and  variety  of  things  lay  strewed  about 
the  cairn,  such  as  even  in  their  three  days'  march  from  the 
ships  the  retreating  crews  found  it  impossible  to  carry  fur- 
ther. Amongst  these  were  four  heavy  sets  of  boat's  cook- 
ing stoves,  pickaxes,  shovels,  iron-hoops,  old  canvas,  a  large 
single  block,  about  four  feet  of  a  copper  lightning  con- 
ductor, long  pieces  of  hollow  brass  curtain  rods,  a  small 
case  of  selected  medicines  containing  about  twenty-four 
phials,  the  contents  in  a  wonderful  state  of  preservation  ;  a 
dip  circle  by  Robinson,  with  two  needles,  bar  magnets, 
and  light  horizontal  needle  all  complete,  the  whole  weighing 
only  nine  pounds ;  and  even  a  small  sextant  engraved  with 
the  name  of  "  Frederick  Hornby"  lying  beside  the  cairn 
without  its  case.  The  colored  eye-shades  of  the  sextant 
had  been  taken  out,  otherwise  it  was  perfect ;  the  movable 
screws  and  such  parts  as  come  in  contact  with  the  observer's 
hand  were  neatly  covered  with  thin  leather  to  prevent  frost- 
bite in  severe  weather. 

The  clothing  left  by  the  retreating  crews  of  the  'Erebus* 
and  *  Terror'  formed  a  huge  heap  four  feet  high ;  every 
article  was  searched,  but  the  pockets  were  empty,  and  not 
one  of  all  these  articles  were  marked, — indeed  sailors' warm 
clothing  seldom  is.  Two  canteens,  the  property  of  marines, 
were  found,  one  marked  "  88  C°.  Wm.  Hedges,"  and  the 
other  *'89  C°.  Wm.  Hether."    A  small  panniken  made  out 


^Jl? 


i  'tm 


!    J; 


:i.i 


234 


REFLECTIONS. 


Chap.  XVI. 


of  a  two-pound  preserved-meat  tin  had  scTatched  on  it"W. 
Mark." 

When  continuing  my  homeward  march,  and,  as  nearly  as 
I  could  judge,  2j  or  2J  miles  to  the  north  of  Point  Vio- 
tory,  I  saw  a  few  stones  placed  in  line,  as  if  across  the  head 
of  a  tenting  place  to  afford  some  shelter;  here  it  was  I 
think  that  Lieutenant  Gore  deposited  the  record  in  May, 
184t,  which  was  found  in  1848  by  Lieutenant  Irving,  and 
finally  deposited  at  Point  Victory.  Some  scraps  of  tin 
vessels  were  lying  about,  but  whether  they  had  been  left  by 
Sir  James  Ross'  party  in  May,  1830,  or  by  the  Franklin 
Expedition  in  1841  or  1848,  is  uncertain."* 

Here  ended  my  own  search  for  traces  of  the  lost  ones. 
Hobson  found  two  other  cairns,  and  many  relics,  between 
this  position  and  Cape  Felix.  From  each  place  where  any 
trace  was  discovered  the  most  interesting  of  the  relics  were 
taken  away,  so  that  the  collection  we  have  made  is  very  con- 
siderable. 

Of  these  northern  cairns  I  will  write  a  description  when 
I  have  received  Hobson's  account  of  his  journey  ;  but  here 
it  is  as  well  to  state  his  opinion,  as  well  as  my  own,  that  no 
part  of  the  coast  between  Cape  Felix  and  Cape  Crozier  has 
been  visited  by  Esquimaux  since  the  fatal  march  oi"  the  lost 
crews  in  April,  1848  ;  none  of  the  cairns  or  numerous  ar- 
ticles strewed  about — which  would  be  invaluable  to  the  na- 
tives— or  even  the  drift-wood  we  noticed,  had  been  touched 
by  them.  From  this  very  significant  fact  it  seems  quite 
certain  that  they  had  not  been  discovered  by  the  Esquimaux, 
whose  knowledge  of  the  "  white  men  falling  down  and 
dying  as  they  walked  along"  must  be  limited  to  the  shore- 
line southward  and  eastward  of  Cape  Crozier,  and  where, 


'^  It  is  a  romarkabld  circumstance  that  when,  in  1830,  Sir  James  Rcss 
discoTered  Point  Victory,  he  named  two  points  of  land,  then  in  signt, 
Cape  Franklin  and  Cape  Jane  Franklin  respectively.  Eighteen  yeaff 
afterwards  Franklin's  ships  perished  within  sight  of  those  headlauds. 


jm,  1859. 


RETURNING  HOMEJVAKD. 


235 


of  course,  no  traces  were  permitted  to  remain  for  us  to  find. 
It  is  not  probable  that  such  fearful  mortality  would  have 
overtaken  them  so  early  in  their  march  as  within  80  miles 
by  sledge-route  from  the  abandoned  ships — such  being 
iheip  distance  from  Cape  Crozier ;  nor  is  it  probable  that 
ve  could  have  passed  the  wreck  had  she  existed  there,  as 
there  are  no  oflf-lying  islands  to  prevent  a  ship  drifting  in 
flpon  the  beach  ;  whilst  to  the  southward  they  are  very  nu- 
merous ;  so  much  so  that  a  drifting  ship  could  hardly  run 
the  gauntlet  between  them  so  as  to  reach  the  shore. 

The  coast  from  Point  Victory  northward  is  considerably 
higher  than  that  upon  which  we  have  been  so  many  days ; 
the  sea  also  is  not  so  shallow,  and  the  ice  comes  close  in ; 
to  seaward  all  was  heavy  close  pack,  consisting  of  all  de- 
scriptions of  ice,  but  for  tl  e  most  part  oM  and  heavy. 

From  Walls'  Bay  I  crossed  overland  to  the  eastern  shore, 
and  reached  my  depot  near  the  entrance  of  Port  Parry  on 
the  5th  June,  after  an  absence  of  thirty-four  days.  Hence 
I  purposed  travelling  alongshore  to  Gape  Sabine,  in  order 
to  avoid  the  rough  ice  which  we  encountered  when  crossing 
direct  from  Cape  Victoria  in  April,  and  also  hoping  to  ob- 
tain a  few  more  observations  for  the  magnetic  inclination. 

The  weather  became  foggy  as  we  approached  Prince 
George's  Bay,  therefore  we  were  obliged  to  go  well  into  it 
before  attempting  to  cross.  We  gained  the  land — upon 
the  opposite  side,  as  I  supposed — and  which  would  lead  us 
direct  to  Cape  Sabine ;  but  when  the  weather  cleared  up  we 
saw  a  long  low  island  to  seaward  of  us,  which  puzzled  me 
much.  Eventually  I  found  we  had  discovered  a  strait  lead- 
ing from  Prince  George's  Bay  into  Wellington  Strait,  about 
Smiles  south  of  Cape  Sabine. 

This  discovery  cost  us  a  day's  delay,  and  was  therefore 
unwelcome,  as  we  were  then  in  daily  expectation  and  dread 
>f  the  thaw,  which  renders  all  travelling  ?o  very  difficult ;  and 
*c  were  still  230  long  miles  from  our  ship.     In  this  strait 


M' 

Mm 

■ 

iw^■ 

l^^^l 

'1,1  ■  1  1. 

1 

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>,,  'i  ■['■ 

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236 


GEOLOGICAL  REMARKS. 


Chap.  XVI.I 


we  found  a  deserted  snow  Tillage  of  seventeen  huts ;  one  of 
taem  was  unusually  large,  its  internal  diameter  being  u| 
feet.  The  men  soon  scraped  together  enough  blubber  tol 
supply  us  with  fuel  for  our  homeward  march.  Strewedl 
about  on  the  ice  or  in  every  snow  hut  were  shavings  audi 
chips  oi*  fresh  wood ;  in  one  of  them  I  found  a  child's  tovl 
— a  miniature  sledge — made  of  wood.  No  traces  of  nativesl 
were  found  upon  either  shore  of  this  place,  nor  had  I  rnetl 
with  any  since  leaving  the  western  coast  of  the  island  to  the| 
southward  of  Cape  Crozier. 

Having  passed  through  nearly  to  the  eastern  end  of  tliel 
strait,  we  cut  oflf  some  distance  by  crossing  overland,  so  astoj 
reach  the  sea-coast  3  or  4  miles  southward  of  Cape  Sabine. 
A  few  willow  grouse,  two  foxes,  and  a  young  reindeer  werel 
seen.  There  was  some  vegetation  upon  the  land,  and  ani-l 
mals  appeared  to  resort  to  this  locality  in  tolerable  abun-l 
dance ;  the  contrast  between  it  and  the  low,  barren  shore  we| 
had  so  recently  come  from  was  striking  indeed  I 

Nothing  can  exceed  the  gloom  and  desolation  of  the  wes- 
tern coast  of  King  William's  Island :  Hobson  and  myself  I 
had  some  considerable  experience  of  it ;  his  sojourn  there 
exceeded  a  month ;  its  climate  seems  different  from  that  of 
the  eastern  coast;  it  is  more  exposed  to  north-west  winds, 
and  the  air  was  almost  constantly  loaded  with  chilling  fogs.| 
Everywhere  upon  the  shores  of  the  island  I  noticed  boul- 
ders of  dark  gneiss  ;  upon  the  west  coast  they  were  gener- 
ally small,  and  of  a  dark  gray  color.  About  the  north  | 
part  of  the  island  Hobson  found  a  good  deal  of  sandstone, 
the  probable  result  of  ice-drift  from  Melville  Island  or| 
Banks  Land. 

This  land  gives  one  the  idea  of  its  having  risen  within  a| 
lecent  geological  period  of  I'.e  sea — not  suddenly,  but  at  re- 
gular intervals ;  the  numerous  terraces  or  beach-marks  for!ii| 
long  horizontal  lines,  rising  very  gradnally,  and  in  due  pro- 
portion as  their  distance  increases  from  the  seaj  near  the  I 


ion  of  the  wes- 
n  and  myself  I 

sojourn  there 
t  from  that  of 
th-west  winds, 
1  chilling:  fogs.] 

noticed  boul- 
ey  were  gener-i 
out  the  north 

of  sandstone, 
ille  Island  or 


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Jvn,  185i 

ihore  th 
coast  so 
shells. 

King 
barren,  a 
ind  lakei 
with  rein 
the  nativ 
few  of  tl 

Oq  th( 
seen  flyin 
Cape  Vi 
I  serted  sn 
afterwarc 
of  it,  in  ' 
security  : 
quarters, 
)f  Booth 

I  was 
Dor  could 
eDcampm 
carefully  < 
myself  of 
esting  ol 
camped  f 
the  instn 
adapted, 
time,  so  i 
should  0' 
peared  of 
iog  the  p 

•  This  ct 
emoved  bj 
wMlst  the  ] 
wwn  nor  re 


Jusi,  1859. 


THE  MAGNETIC  INCLINATION. 


237 


ihore  they  are,  of  coarse,  most  distinct.  Upon  the  west 
cosst  some  fossils  were  picked  op,  chiefly  impressions  of 
shells.  • 

King  William's  Island  is  for  the  most  part  extremely 
barren,  and  its  surface  dotted  over  with  innumerable  ponds 
ud  lakes.  It  is  not  by  any  means  **  the  land  abounding 
with  reindeer  and  musk  oxen"  which  we  expected  to  find  : 
the  natives  told  us  there  were  none  of  the  latter  and  very 
few  of  the  former  upon  it. 

On  the  8th  of  June  the  first  ducks  and  brent  geese  were 
eeen  flying  northward.  Passing  over  the  extreme  point  of 
Cape  Victoria,  Bocthia  Land,  near  which  we  saw  the  de- 
Eerted  snow  huts  of  our  March  acquaintances,  and  shortly 
afterwards  crossing  the  mouth  of  the  deep  bay  to  the  north 
of  it,  in  which,  sheltered  by  the  island,  a  ship  would  find 
security  from  the  ice  pressure,  and  very  tolerable  winter 
qaarters,  we  again  reached  the  straight  low  limestone  coast 
)f  Boothia  Felix. 

I  was  unable  to  make  any  delay  at  the  Magnetic  Pole, 
Dor  could  I  find  a  trace  of  Ross'  cairn  ;'*'  but  at  each  of  our 
encampments  along  the  coast  the  magnetic  inclination  was 
carefully  observed.  Throughout  my  whole  journey  I  availed 
myself  of  every  opportunity  of  obtaining  these  most  inter- 
esting observations,  often  remaining  up,  after  we  had  en- 
camped for  rest,  six  or  seven  hours  in  order  to  do  so  ;  but 
the  instruments  supplied  for  this  purpose  were  not  well 
adapted,  and  occasioned  me  a  vast  deal  of  labor  and  loss  of 
time,  so  as  to  diminish  to  almost  one-third  the  results  I 
should  otherwise  have  obtained.  Much  snow  has  disap- 
peared ofif  the  land ;  and  the  ridges  or  ancient  beaches,  be- 
ing the  parts  most  free  from  snow,  showed  out  strongly  in 

*  This  cairn,  as  well  as  the  one  built  on  Point  Victory  in  1830,  was 
emoved  by  the  natives ;  fortuaately  they  had  not  visited  Point  Victory 
whilst  the  Franklin  cairn  and  record  remained  there,  otherwise  neither 
Min  nor  record  would  have  remained  for  us  to  discover. 


'i\ 


1 


I   "..   ♦■:■ 


:1',i' 


238 


ILLNESS  OF  HOBSON. 


Chap.  XV I, 


long,  dark,  horizontal  lines,  rising  aboTe  each  other  until 
lost  to  view  in  the  interior.  Here  and  there  a  few  fussil 
shells  and  corals  were  picked  up,  and  fonr  or  five  willow 
gDuse  shot. 

13^/i  June. — We  passed  from  limestone  to  granite  in  lat. 
71°  10'  N.  Here  the  land  attains  to  considerable  elevation. 
In  the  hollows  of  the  dark  granite  rocks  we  found  abund- 
ance of  water,  and  also  in  a  few  places  upon  the  sea-ice; 
it  was  quite  evident  that  in  another  day  or  two  the  snow 
would  altogether  yield  to  the  warmth  of  summer;  birds 
were  now  frequently  seen. 

We  discovered  a  narrow  channel  to  the  eastward  of  the 
one  between  the  Tasmania  Group,  through  which  we  had 
passed  with  so  much  difficulty  in  April ;  our  new  channel 
was  covered  with  smooth  ice,  and  was  also  much  shorter. 

At  one  of  our  depots  lately  visited,  a  note  left  by  Hob- 
son  informed  me  of  his  being  six  days  ill  advance  of  me, 
and  also  of  his  own  serious  illness ;  for  many  days  past  he 
had  been  unable  to  walk,  and  was  consequently  conveyed 
upon  the  sledge ;  his  men  were  hastening  home  with  oil 
their  strength  and  speed,  in  order  to  get  him  under  the 
Doctor's  care.  We  also  were  doing  our  best  to  push  on, 
lest  the  bursting  out  of  melting  snow  from  the  various 
ravines  should  render  the  ice  impassable. 

On  the  15th  the  snow  upon  the  ice  everywhere  yielded  to 
the  effects  of  increased  temperature ;  I  was,  indeed,  most 
thankful  at  its  having  remained  firm  so  long.  To  make  any 
progress  at  all  after  this  date  was  of  course  a  very  great 
labor,  requiring  the  utmost  efforts  of  both  the  men  and  the 
dogs ;  nor  was  the  freezing  mixture  through  which  we 
trudged  by  any  means  agreeable ;  we  were  often  more  than 
knee-deep  in  it. 

We  succeeded  in  reachmg  False  Strait  on  the  morning 
of  the  18th  June,  and  pitched  our  tent  just  as  heavy  rain 
began  to  descend ;  it  lasted  throughout  the  greasier  part  of 


Chap.  XVI,  ■  i^n,  1859. 


NAVIGABLE  N.  W.  PASSAGE. 


239 


the  day.  After  trayeling  a  few  miles  upon  the  Long  Lake. 
farther  progress  was  foond  to  be  quite  impossible,  and  wo 
were  obliged  to  haul  our  sledges  up  ofif  the  flooded  ice, 
and  commence  a  march  of  16  or  17  miles  overland  for  the 
ship.  The  poor  dogs  were  so  tired  and  sore-footed,  that 
ve  could  not  induce  them  to  follow  us ;  they  remained  about 
the  sledges.  After  a  very  fatiguing  scramble  across  the 
liilis  and  through  the  snow  valleys,  we  were  refreshed  with 
a  sight  of  our  poor  dear  lonely  little  *  Fox,'  and  arrived  on 
board  in  time  for  a  late  breakfast  on  the  19th  June. 

With  respect  to  a  navigable  North-West  Passage,  and  to 
the  probability  of  our  having  been  able  last  season  to  make 
any  considerable  advance  to  the  southward,  had  the  barrier 
of  ice  across  the  western  outlet  of  Bellot  Strait  permitted 
Qs  to  reach  the  open  water  beyond,  I  think,  judging  from 
what  I  have  since  seen  of  the  ice  in  the  Franklin  Strait, 
that  the  chances  were  greatly  in  favor  of  our  reaching  Cape 
Herschel  on  the  S.  side  of  King  William's  Land,  by  pass- 
iug  (as  I  intended  to  do)  eastward  cf  that  island. 

From  Bellot  Strait  to  Cape  Victoria  we  found  a  mixture 
of  old  and  new  ice,  showing  the  exact  proportion  of  pack  and 
of  clear  water  at  the  setting  in  of  winter.  Once  to  the 
southward  of  the  Tasmania  Group,  I  think  our  chief  diffi- 
cnlty  would  have  been  overcome ;  and  south  of  Cape  Vic- 
toria I  doubt  whether  any  further  obstruction  would  have 
been  experienced,  as  but  little,  if  any,  ice  remained.  The 
natives  told  us  the  ice  went  away,  and  left  a  clear  sea  every 
jear.  As  our  discoveries  show  the  Victoria  Strait  to  be 
bat  little  more  than  20  miles  wide,  the  ice  pressed  south- 
ward through  so  narrow  a  space  could  hardly  have  pre- 
vented our  crossing  to  Victoria  Land,  and  Cambridge  Bay, 
the  wintering  place  reached  by  CoUinson,  from  the  west. 

No  one  who  sees  that  portion  of  Victoria  Strait  which  lies 
I  between  King  William's  Island  and  Victoria  Land,  as  we 
Paw  it,  could  doubt  of  there  being  but  one  way  of  getting 


I  I* 


4 


4 


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i 

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n 

P 


& 


t  ■    ;'' 


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S40 


KAVIOABLE  V.  W.  PASSAQB. 


C«AP.  XVL 


a  ship  through  it,  that  way  being  the  extremely  hazardom 
one  of  drift  through  in  the  pack. 

The  wide  channel  between  Prince  of  Wales'  Land  aud 
Victoria  Land  admits  a  vast  and  continuous  stream  of  Tery 
heary  ocean-formed  ice,  from  the  N.  W.,  which  presses  upon 
the  western  face  of  King  William's  Island,  and  chokes  op 
Victoria  Strait  in  the  manner  I  have  just  described.  I  do 
not  think  the  North-West  Passage  could  ever  be  sailed 
through  by  passing  westward — that  is,  to  windward— of 
King  William's  Island. 

If  the  season  was  so  favorable  for  navigation  as  to  open 
the  northern  part  of  this  western  sea*  (as,  for  instance,  in 
1846,  when  Sir  John  Franklin  sailed  down  it),  I  think  but 
comparatively  little  difficulty  would  be  experienced  in  the 
more  southern  portion  of  it  until  Victoria  Strait  was 
reached.  Had  Sir  John  Franklin  known  that  a  channel  ex- 
isted eastward  of  King  William's  Land  (so  named  by  Sir 
John  Koss),  I  do  not  think  he  would  have  risked  the  beset- 
ment  of  his  ships  in  such  very  heavy  ice  to  the  westward  of 
it ;  but  had  he  attempted  the  north-west  passage  by  tlie 
eastern  route,  he  would  probably  have  carried  bis  ships 
safely  through  to  Behring's  Straits.  But  Franklin  was 
furnished  with  charts  which  indicated  no  passage  to  the 
eastward  of  King  William's  Land,  and  made  that  land 
(since  discovered  by  Bae  to  be  an  island)  a  peninsula 
attached  to  the  continent  of  North  America ;  and  he  con- 
sequently had  but  one  course  open  to  him,  and  that  the  one 
he  adopted. 

My  own  preference  for  the  route  by  the  east  side  of  the 
island  is  founded  upon  the  observations  and  experience  of 
Bae  and  Collinson  in  1851-2-4.  I  am  of  opinion  that  the 
barrier  of  ice  ofif  Bellot  Strait,  some  3  or  4  miles  wide,  was 


*  This  channel  is  now  named  after  the  illustrioaa  navigator,  Admiral 
Sir  John  Franklin.  . 


,t' 


/tLTi  1859. 


SCURVY. 


241 


the  only  obstacle  to  our  carrying  the  *  Fox,*  bccording  to 
my  original  intention,  southward  to  the  Great  Fish  River, 
passing  east  of  King  William's  Island,  and  from  thence  to 
a  wintering  position  on  Victoria  Land.  Perhaps  some 
future  voyager,  profiting  by  the  experience  so  fearfully  and 
fatally  acquired  by  the  Franklin  expedition,  and  the  obser* 
rations  of  Rae,  Collinson,  and  myself,  may  succeed  in 
canying  his  ship  through  from  sea  to  sea :  at  least  he  will 
be  enabled  to  direct  all  his  efforts  in  the  true  and  only 
direction.  In  the  meantime  to  Franklin  must  be  assigned 
the  earliest  discovery  of  the  North-Wcst  Passage,  though 
not  tiie  actual  accomplishment  of  it  in  his  ships.* 

Saturday,  2nd  July. — Upon  my  arrival  on  board  on  the 
morning  of  the  19th  June,  my  first  inquiries  were  about 
Hubson ;  I  found  him  in  a  worse  state  than  I  expected. 
He  reached  the  ship  on  the  14th,  unable  to  walk,  or  even 
stand  without  assistance ;  but  alrefidy  he  was  beginning  to 
amend,  and  was  in  excellent  spirits.  Christian  had  shot 
several  ducks,  which,  with  preserved  potato,  milk,  strong 
ale,  and  lemon-juice,  completed  a  very  respectable  dietary 
for  a  scurvy-stricken  patient.  All  the  rest  were  tolerably 
well ;  slight  traces  only  of  scurvy  in  two  or  three  of  the 
men.  The  ship  was  as  clean  *and  trim  as  I  could  expect, 
and  all  had  well  and  cheerfully  performed  their  duties  during 
my  absence ;  hardly  any  game  had  been  shot,  except  one 
bear. 

The  Doctor  now  acquainted  me  with  the  death  of  Thomas 


A, 


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*  This  will  be  understood  when  it  is  recollected  that  W.  of  Simpson's 
Straits  or  Victoria  Land,  a  navigable  passage  to  Behring's  Straits  is 
known  to  exist  along  the  coast  of  North  America.  Franlilin  himself, 
with  his  companion  Richardson,  snrveyed  hj  far  the  greater  portion  of 
that  distance.  Franklin's  and  Parry's  discoyeries  orerlap  each  other  in 
longitude,  and  for  the  last  thirty  years  or  more  the  discovery  of  the 
Nortb-West  Passage  has  been  reduced  to  the  discovery  of  a  link  nnitiag 
the  two. 

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242 


ANXIETY  FOR  YOUNG. 


Chap.  XVI 


Black  well,  ship's  steward,  which  occurred  only  five  days 
previously,  and  wos  occasioned  by  scurvy.  This  man  had 
scurvy  when  I  left  the  ship  in  April,  and  no  means  were 
left  untried  by  the  Doctor  to  promote  the  recovery  and 
rally  his  depouding  energies  ;  but  his  mind,  unsustained  by 
hope,  lost  all  energy,  and  at  last  he  had  to  be  forcibly  taken 
upon  deck  for  fresh  air.  For  months  past  the  ship's  spirits 
had  been  of  necessity  removed  from  under  his  control. 

When  too  late  his  shipmates  made  it  known  that  he  had 
a  dislike  to  preserved  meats,  and  had  lived  the  whole  winter 
upon  salt  pork  I  He  also  disliked  preserved  potato,  and 
would  not  eat  it  unless  watched,  nor  would  he  put  on  clean 
clothes  which  others  in  charity  prepared  for  him.  Yet  liis 
death  was  somewhat  unexpected  ;  he  went  on  deck  as  usual 
to  walk  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  and,  when  found  there, 
was  quite  dead.  His  remains  were  buried  beside  those  of 
our  late  shipmate  Mr.  Brand. 

The  news  of  our  success  to  the  southward  in  tracing  the 
footsteps  of  the  lost  expedition  greatly  revived  the  spirits 
of  my  small  crew ;  we  wished  only  for  the  safe  and  speedy 
return  of  Young  and  his  party. 

Captain  Young  commenced  his  spring  explorations  on 
the  7th  April,  with  a  sledge  party  of  four  men,  and  a  second 
sledge  drawn  by  six  dogs  under  the  management  of  our 
Greenlander,  Samuel ;  finding  in  his  progress  that  a  channel 
existed  between  Prince  of  Wales'  Land  and  Victoria  Lar:d 
whereby  his  discovery  and  search  would  be  lengthened,  he 
sent  back  one  sledge,  the  tent,  and  four  men  to  the  ship,  in 
order  to  economise  provisions,  and  for  forty  days  journeyed 
with  one  man  (George  Hobday)  and  the  dogs,  encamping 
in  such  snow  lodges  as  they  were  able  to  build. 

This  great  exposure  and  fatigue,  together  with  extremely 
bad  weather,  and  a  most  difficult  coastline  to  trace,  greatly 
injured  his  health  ;  he  was  compelled  to  return  to  the  ship 
on  7th  June  for  medical  aid,  but  proposing  at  all  bazarda 


Jctr,  1859. 


SEARCH  FOR  CAPTAIN  YOUNG. 


243 


to  renew  his  «zpIorations  almost  immediately.  Dr.  Walker 
met  this  determination  by  a  strong  protest  in  writing 
against  his  leaving  the  ship  again,  his  health  being  quite 
unequal  to  it ;  but  after  three  days  Young  felt  himself  some- 
what better,  and,  with  a  zeal  which  knew  no  bounds,  set  off 
to  complete  his  branch  of  the  search,  taking  with  him  both 
his  sledge  parties. 

From  ihe  Doctor's  account  I  felt  most  anxious  for  his 
ruturn,  lest  his  health,  or  that  of  his  companions,  should 
rec(5ive  permanent,  injury ;  in  fact  this  was  now  my  only 
cause  of  anxiety.  The  season  was  rather  forward  here,  and 
advancing  with  unusual  rapidity,  rain  and  wind  dissolving 
the  snow  and  ice ;  there  was  much  water  in  Bellot  Strait, 
extending  from  Half-way  Island  eastward  to  the  table-land, 
and  thence  in  a  narrow  lane  to  Long  Island.  After  a  day  or 
two  I  could  perceive  a  vast  improvement  in  Ilobson ;  and 
my  own  four  men,  with  the  exception  of  Hampton,  who  re- 
quired rest,  were  in  sound  health ;  so  also  was  my  com- 
panion Petersen.  On  24th  June  Christian  shot  two  small 
reindeer,  which  gave  us  170  lbs.  of  meat;  a  few  days 
before  that  he  shot  a  seal,  which  afforded  two  sumptuous 
meals  for  all  on  board. 

The  time  having  elapsed  during  which  Young  expected 
to  remain  absent,  and  the  difficulties  of  the  transit  from  the 
western  sea  having  become  greatly  increased,  I  set  off  early 
on  the  25th  June  with  my  four  men,  intending  to  visit  Pem> 
miean  Rock;  but  failing  to  come  across  him  there,  I  re- 
solved to  carry  on  provisions  as  far  as  Four  River  Point,  in 
the  hope  of  meeting  with  him,  and  facilitating  his  return. 
To  our  surprise  the  water  had  all  drained  off  the  frozen 
surface  of  the  Long  Lake,  and  it  therefore  afforded  excel- 
lent travelling.  We  found  the  poor  dogs  lying  quietly  be- 
side our  sledges ;  they  had  attacked  the  pemmican,  and  de- 
voarcd  a  small  (quantity  which  was  not  secured  in  tin,  also 
lome  blabber,  some  leather  straps,  and  a  gull  that  I  had 


m 

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244 


TREATMENT  OF  DOOS. 


Chap.  XVL 


shot  for  a  specimen ;  bat  they  had  not  apparently  relished 
the  biscuit.  Poor  dogs  I  they  have  a  hard  life  of  it  in  these 
regions.  Even  Petersen,  who  is  generally  kind  and  humane, 
seems  to  fancy  they  must  have  little  or  no  feeling :  one  of  bis 
theories  is,  that  you  may  knock  an  Esquimaux  dog  about 
the  head  with  any  article,  however  heavy,  with  perfect  im- 
punity to  the  brutes.  One  of  us  upbraided  him  the  other 
day  because  he  broke  his  whip-handio  over  the  head  of  a 
dog.  "That  was  nothing  at  all,"  he  assured  us:  some 
friend  of  his  in  Greenland  found  he  could  beat  his  dogs 
over  the  head  with  a  heavy  hammer, — it  stunned  them  cer- 
tainly,— but  by  laying  them  with  their  mouths  open  to  the 
wind,  they  soon  revived,  got  up  and  ran  about  "all  right." 

We  lost  no  time  in  giving  them  a  good  feed,  the  first  for 
seven  days,  yet  they  did  not  seem  unusually  hungry,  and 
soon  coiled  themselves  up  to  sleep  again.  Whilst  the  men 
and  dogs  were  employed  next  day  in  conveying  a  sledge  to 
the  east  end  of  the  lake,  I  walked  to  Cape  Bird  to  look  out 
for  the  absent  party,  but  they  had  not  yet  returned  to  Pem- 
mican  Rock. 

When  vainly  endeavoring,  with  felonious  intentions,  to 
.^linib  up  a  steep  cliff  to  the  breeding-places  of  some  silvery 
gulls,  I  saw  and  shot  a  brent  goose,  seated  upon  an  acces- 
sible ledge,  and  made  a  prize  of  four  eggs ;  it  seems  strange 
that  this  bird  should  hare  selected  so  unusual  a  breeding- 
place.  Many  seals  were  basking  on  the  ice,  and  the  water- 
course by  which  our  sledges  ascended  a  week  before  to  the 
Long  Lake  was  now  a  strong  and  rapid  stream.  A  few 
reindeer  were  seen. 

On  the  27th  I  sent  three  of  the  men  back  to  the  ship,  and 
with  Thompson  and  the  dogs  went  on  to  Pemmican  Rock, 
where,  to  our  great  joy,  we  happily  met  Young  and  his 
party,  who  had  but  just  returned  there,  after  a  long  and 
successful  journey  the  particulars  of  which  I  will  give  here* 
after. 


Jolt,  (359. 


YOUNO  RETURNS  SAFELY. 


245 


Toung  was  greatly  reduced  in  flesh  and  strength,  so  much 
weakened  indeed  that  for  tiic  last  few  days  he  had  travelled 
on  the  dog-sledge ;  Harvey — also  far  from  well — could  just 
manage  to  keep  pace  with  the  sledge;  his  malady  was 
scurvy.  Their  journeys  had  been  very  depressing ;  most 
dismal  weather,  low,  dreary  limestone  shores  devoid  of 
game,  and  no  traces  of  the  lost  expedition.  The  news  of 
our  success  in  the  southern  journeys  greatly  cheered  them. 
On  the  following  day  we  were  all  once  more  on  board,  and 
indulging  in  such  rapid  consumption  of  eatables  as  only 
those  can  do  who  have  been  much  reduced  by  long-contin 
ued  fatigue  and  exposure  to  cold.  Venison,  ducks,  beer 
and  lemon-juice,  daily ;  preserved  apples  and  cranberries 
three  times  a  week ;  and  pickled  whaleskin — a  famous  anti- 
scorbutic— ad  libilum  for  all  who  liked  it.  The  weather, 
which  for  the  last  week  had  been  wet,  windy,  and  miserable, 
now  set  in  fair.  The  carpenter's  hammer,  and  the  meu*i 
roices  at  their  work,  were  new  and  animatibg  soandik. 


I 

y. 
U 


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fr 


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].  ;  «:: 

'■  m 

M 


'liV 


146 


SIGNS  OF  RELEASE. 


Chap.  XTtL 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

Signi  of  release— Dearth  of  animal  life — Owl  is  good  leef— Beat  oat  of 
winter  quarters — Our  game-list — Reacii  Fury  Beach — Escape  from  Re* 
gent's  Inlet — In  Baffin's  Bay — Captain  Allen  Youngs  journey— Disco; 
sad  disappointment — Part  from  our  Esquimaux  friends — Adieu  to 
Greenland — Arrive  homo.  . . 


To-DAT  (2nd  July)  I  took  a  long  and  delightful  walk, 
but  shot  only  tvro  ducks ;  Petersen  went  in  another  direc- 
tion, and  got  notln'ng ;  Christian,  after  toiling  all  day  in  his 
kayak,  returned  with  only  two  divers  and  a  duck.  Lately 
he  has  obtained  for  us  several  king  and  long-tailed  diiciis 
(no  eider-ducks  have  been  seen);  two  red-throated  divers, 
and  two  brent  geese,  and  caught  an  ermine  in  its  summer 
coat.  Yesterday  one  of  the  men  brought  on  board  a  trout 
weighing  2  lbs ;  he  saw  a  glaucous  gull  and  a  fox  disputing 
for  it ;  the  former  seems  to  have  killed  and  brought  it  to 
land. 

The  water  now  washes  the  south  side  of  the  Fox  Islands, 
and  extends  to  the  south  point  of  Long  Island.  The  month 
of  June  has  been  somewhat  warmer  than  usual,  its  mean 
temperature  being  -f  35j°. 

9th. — The  ship  has  been  thoroughly  cleaned  and  re- 
stowed,  remaining  provisions  examined,  tanks  filled  with 
fresh  water,  12  tons  of  stone  ballast  taken  in,  and  every- 
tliing  brought  on  board  that  w^s  landed  last  autumn.  Hob- 
son  is  the  only  one  Jipon  the  sick  list ;  but  he  is  able  to 
walk  about  and  does  duty.  Very  few  birds,  and  only  one 
small  seal,  have  been  obtained  during  the  week ;  an  occa- 
Bional  great  northern  diver  is  seen,  and  a  rare  land  bird  has 


Jri.T,  1859. 


DEAflTII  OP  ANIMAL  LIFE. 


247 


been  sbot.  We  cannot  discover  the  nests  of  either  dnckg 
or  geese,  and  the  breeding  cliffs  of  the  gulls  being  inacces- 
sible, we  have  not  got  any  eggs.  I  am  a  close  prisoner  at 
the  corner  of  my  table,  poring  over  my  observation  and 
angle  book,  and  have  at  length  laid  down  upon  paper  the 
west  coast  of  King  William's  Land  to  my  satisfaction. 
Tidal  observations  are  commenced ;  and  the  aneroid  and 
mercurial  barometers  are  again  being  compared  in  order  to 
verify  the  former. 

1  G<^.  Saturday  night. — We  are  now  almost  ready  for 
Rca.  There  is  now  a  much  larger  space  of  water  in  Uellot 
Sirait,  reaching  within  300  or  400  yards  of  us.  Long 
cracks  or  lanes  of  water  have  been  seen  in  Prince  Regent's 
Inlet.  The  decay  of  the  ice  continues,  though  not  with 
equal  rapidity,  yet  with  very  satisfactory  despatch.  Westerly 
winds  and  clear  weather  prevail.  Christian  has  seen  two 
reindeer  this  week,  and  has  shot  a  very  few  birds,  and  seven 
seals.  As  these  creatures  lie  basking  upon  the  ice,  he 
crawls  up  to  them  behind  a  small  calico  screen,  fitted  upon 
a  miniature  sledge  about  a  foot  long,  on  which  there  is  a 
rest  for  the  muzzle  of  his  rifle,  and  a  slit  in  the  calico, 
through  which  he  fires  it.  The  seals  afford  an  average 
weight  of  thirty  pounds  of  excellent  fresh  meat,  which  we 
relish  greatly,  and  consider  much  better  suited  to  our  pre- 
sent condition  than  such  poor  venison  as  reindeer  would 
furnish  at  this  season.  A  single  hare  has  been  shot ;  the 
white  fur  has  nearly  all  disappeared,  and  left  exposed  the 
summer  coat  of  dull  lead  color.  Several  small  birds  not 
common  to  the  northward  are  found  here.  Insects  abound ; 
the  Doctor  is  perpetually  in  chase,  unless  busily  occupied 
in  grubbing  up  plants.  Young  is  surveying  the  harbor. 
Hobson  fully  occupied  in  preparing  the  ship  fur  sea.  I  have 
been  giving  some  attention  to  the  engines  and  boiler,  and 
hope,  with  the  help  of  the  two  stokers,  to  be  able  to  makf 
•ise  of  our  steam  power 


n 


I 


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248 


CAIRN  BUILT. 


Cbap.  XVII. 


The  men  hnve  received  my  hearty  thanks  for  their  grea: 
exertions  during  the  traveling  period.  I  told  them  I  con* 
Bidercd  every  part  of  our  search  to  have  been  fully  and  cfli' 
ciently  performed.  Our  labors  have  determined  the  exact 
position  of  the  extreme  northern  promontory  of  the  conti. 
nent  of  America;  I  have  affixed  to  it  the  name  of  Murclij. 
son,  after  the  distinguished  President  of  the  Royal  Geo- 
grophical  Society — the  strenuous  advocate  for  this  "  further 
search" — and  the  able  champion  of  Lady  Franklin  wiien 
she  needed  all  the  support  which  private  friendship  uud 
public  spirit  could  bestow. 

22rd. — The  ice  in  Prince  Regent's  Inlet  is  broken  up 
into  pack,  but  the  prevalence  of  easterly  winds  keeps  ii 
close  upon  the  shore.  The  ice  about  us  is  very  much  de- 
cayed, holes  through  it  in  many  places.  No  reindeer  seen 
this  week,  and  only  two  seals  procured ;  one  of  them  shot 
by  Christian,  the  other  was  killed  by  a  bear,  which  ran  o£f 
before  ^amuel  could  come  within  shot  of  him.  A  fox,  a 
gull,  a  couple  of  ducks,  and  one  or  two  lemmings,  complete 
our  game  list  for  the  week,  yet  our  two  Esquimaux  are  inde- 
fatigable in  the  pursuit.  We  eat  all  the  birds  and  seals  we 
can  shoot,  as  well  as  mustard  and  cress  as  fast  as  we  can 
grow  it,  but  the  quantity  is  very  small.  We  sometimes  re- 
fresh ourselves  with  a  salad  of  sorrel  leaves,  or  roots  of  the 
little  plant  with  lilac  flower  of  snapdragon  shape,  named 
Pedicularis  hirsuta. 

The  seine  has  been  hauled  in  the  narrow  lake  at  the  head 
of  the  harbor,  but  as  it  was  not  well  managed,  only  i\  dozen 
small  trout  were  taken,  though  several  were  seen.  We  have 
tried  for  rock-cod,  but  without  success.  The  relies  of  the 
lost  expedition  have  been  aired,  exhibited  to  the  ere»v',  label- 
led, and  packed  away.  The  Doctor  has  been  dredging  lately. 
A  record  detailing  our  proceedings  has  been  placed  iu  a 
cairn  upon  the  west  point  of  Depot  Bay.  i 

Isl  August — A  long  continuance  of  unusually  calia 


1^1 


Acq.  1859. 


OUT  OP  WINTER  QUARTERS. 


249 


bright,  and  warm  weather  has  been  favorable  to  our  paint- 
ing and  cleaning  the  ship,  scraping  masts,  and  so  forth, 
the  rei^ult  is  that  she  looi(s  unusually  smart  and  gny,  and 
our  impatience  to  exhibit  her,  and  ourselves  at  home  is 
much  increased.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  gulls,  and  a 
duck,  our  hunters  have  shot  nothing  lately,  although  con- 
stantly out,  either  darting  about  in  their  kayaks  or  ranging 
over  the  hills ;  in  fact  there  is  nothing  which  they  can 
shoot ;  the  ducks  are  tolerably  numerous,  but  extremely 
wild ;  the  valleys  are  respectably  clothed  with  vegetation, 
yet  only  one  animal — a  hare — has  been  seen.  I  was  so  for- 
tunate as  to  shoot  a  snowy  owl,  the  Besh  of  which  was  white 
and  tender,  but  to  my  palate,  tasteless,  although  Petersen 
considers  that  "  owl  is  the  best  beef  in  the  country." 

On  Thursday  night  we  found  the  harbor-ice  to  be  quietly 
drifting  out,  of  course  taking  us  with  it.  The  night  was 
calm,  the  current  in  Bellot  Strait  was  very  strong  :  we  were 
almost  helpless  under  the  circumstances,  and  therefore  felt 
the  danger  of  our  position.  To  warp  the  ship  along  the  ice- 
edge,  out  of  the  way  of  the  shore  and  rocks  ns  it  turned 
round  and  drifted  olong  the  cliSs  to  the  westward,  gave  us 
some  hours'  occupation.  At  length  it  stuck  fast  between 
Fox  Island  and  the  main.  ^ 

At  turn  of  tide  on  Friday  morning  it  began  to  drift  east* 
ward,  and  by  this  time  being  much  broken  up,  and  a  breeze 
coming  to  our  aid,  we  managed  to  extricate  ourselves  and 
reach  a  secure  anchorage  in  Point  Kennedy. 

On  Saturday  night  some  ice  that  was  left  came  drifting 
out  of  the  inner  harbor,  and  obliged  us  to  slip  our  cable ; 
but  after  a  few  hours  we  regained  our  berth  in  safety,  and 
have  since  been  undisturbed.  There  is  no  immediate  pros- 
pect of  escape,  but  we  expect  a  prodigious  smashing  up  of 
the  ice  whenever  a  strong  wind  springs  up  to  set  it  in  mo- 
tion. To-day  the  steam  was  got  up,  and  with  the  help  of 
oar  two  stokers  I  worked  the  engines  for  a  short  timp.     It 


'fi  ii 


• '/ 


11: 


r 


250 


WAITING  TO  ESCAPE. 


Chap.  XVII 


is  very  cheering  to  know  that  we  still  have  steam  power  at 
our  command,  although,  by  the  deaths  of  poor  Mr.  Brund 
and  Robert  Scott,  we  were  deprived  of  our  engineer  arri 
engine-driver. 

Tiie  mean  temperature  for  July  has  been  40^ '14,  which 
is  above  the  average  for  this  region  ;  the  July  temperatures 
have  usually  varied  from  36^  to  42°. 

All  are  now  in  good  health,  but  Hobson  still  a  little  lame. 
The  issue  of  lemon-juice  has  been  reduced  to  the  ordinary 
allowance  of  half  an  ounce  daily  (as  we  have  but  little  that 
is  really  good),  lest  another  winter  should  become  inevitable, 
which,  I  can  devoutly  say,  may  God  forbid  I 

Monday  niykt,  Sth. — Very  anxiously  awaiting  an  oppor- 
tunity to  escape.  We  have  constantly  watched  the  ice  from 
the  neighboring  hills,  including  the  lofty  summit  of  Mount 
Walker — named  after  the  Doctor,  who  was  the  first  to  ascend 
it  (1123  feet) — from  which  Fury  Point  can  be  distinguished, 
but  nothing  very  cheering  has  been  seen.  We  had  a  N.  E. 
gale,  accompanied  by  rain  and  a  considerable  fall  of  the  ba- 
rometer, a  few  days  ago ;  and  as  it  blew  freshly  from  the 
westward  this  morning,  I  went  to  a  hill-top  and  saw  that 
much  ice  had  been  broken  up  in  Brentford  Bay,  and  that 
there  were  streaks  of  water  along  the  land  between  Posses- 
sion Point  and  Hazard  Inlet;  this  water,  however,  was  not 
accessible  to  us 

The  ice  about  Pemmican  Bock  was  much  in  the  same  po- 
sition as  we  found  it  last  year,  but  Bellot  Strait  was  perfectly 
clear.  All  the  ice  in  this  harbor,  in  Dep6t  Bay,  and  Hazard 
Inlet,  is  gone,  by  far  the  greater  part  having  decayed,  not 
drifted  away. 

Later  in  the  day  and  from  loftier  hill-tops,  a  good  deal  of 
water  was  seen  off  Cape  Garry,  and  a  water-sky  beyond. 
It  now  blows  very  strongly  from  the  S.  W.,  the  most  desir- 
able quarter ;  and  as  the  anxious  desire  to  escape  has  be- 
come oppressive,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  now  oui 


Acq.  ISAu. 


UAMB-LIST. 


251 


hopes  have  bncomo  extravagant.  We  may  even  make  a 
stnrt  to-Diorrow  !  On  the  other  hand,  a  careful  exaniiiiHiiou 
of  our  provision  store  shows  that,  siiould  we  be  obliged  to 
spend  another  winter  here,  we  must  curtail  our  allowance 
of  meal^fresh  and  salt — to  three-quarters  of  a  pound,  and 
have  to  use  but  very  indifferent  lemon-juice.  The  spirits, 
I  rejoice  to  say,  will  very  shortly  be  entirely  expended. 

On  the  morning  of  the  3d  instant,  when  the  rain  ceased 
and  N.  E.  gale  sprang  up,  two  claps  of  thunder  were  dis- 
tinctly heard ;  this  occurs  but  very  rarely  in  these  latitudes. 
There  is  ample  occupation  for  the  men  but  not  much  for  the 
officers ;  as  for  myself,  I  write  a  great  deal,  and  work  occa- 
sionally at  our  chart  of  discoveries ;  the  only  refreshment  I 
indulge  in  is  an  occasional  dive  into  packets  of  old  letters. 
All  yesterday  the  harbor  was  full  of  ice  set  in  by  southerly 
and  westerly  winds,  and  so  closely  packed  that  one  might 
have  walked  over  it  to  the  shore ;  to-day  it  has  nearly  all 
drifted  out  again.  The  subjoined  list  will  show  what  game 
we  have  been  able  to  obtain  by  constant  and  arduous  labor 
from  the  resources  of  these  regions  during  nearly  two  years' 
sojourn. 

Oame  List. 


8  Months  <Q  the  Pack,  1857-8. 1 1 
Duvekiea, 


Bears. 
2 


11  Months  to  Port  KeDira<l]r,_lS.>8-0^ 
beer. 


Hares. 


Foxes.|PMrni'.-,  Wild  ,Seala. 


19 


gau.    I  Fowl 


IS 


At  Port  Kennedy  Beveral  ermines  and  lemmings  were  also  caught. 
The  ptarmigan  all  disappeared  after  Ist  April. 
Only  2  dovekies  were  seen,  I  in  winter  and  1  in  summer  plumag* 
A  few  seals  were  seen  as  early  as  the  month  of  February. 
Ducks,  geese,  and  gulls,  were  the  usual  kind  of  wild  fowl  killed. 
During  the  four  months  occupied  in  sailing  from  Davis  Strait  to  BcUot 
Strait,  many  looms  and  rotchies,  and  5  or  6  bears  were  shot 

Wednesday,  lOth. — The  S.  W.  wind  proved  a  good  friend 
to  us ;  by  the  morning  of  the  9th  it  had  moved  the  ice  off 
fihore,  and  cleared  away  a  passage  for  us  out  of  Brentford 


■;.r 


^^1 

,  -ft 

^■■i 

■^i 

■      «.''l 

.  I 


i,  i: 


S59 


TRACES  OP  OUR  VISIT. 


Chap.  XVII. 


Bay.  We  started  under  steam  at  eleven  o'clock  yesterday 
morning,  and,  pasoing  round  Long  Island,  made  sail  along 
the  land  towards  Cape  Garry,  there  being  a  channel  about 
2  or  3  miles  wide  between  the  pack  and  the  shore. 

The  wind  now  failed  us,  and  I  experienced  some  little 
difficulty  in  the  management  of  the  engines  and  boiler ;  the 
latter  primed  so  violently  as  to  send  the  water  over  our  top 
gallant  yard,  and  the  tail  valve  of  the  condenser  by  some 
means  had  got  out  of  its  seat,  and  admitted  air  to  the  con- 
denser; but  eventually  we  got  the  engines  to  work  well,  and 
steamed  across  Cresswell  Bay  during  the  night.  The  pack 
rested  against  Fury  Point,  and  an  east  wind  springing  up, 
we  made  fast  to  a  large  grounded,  mass  of  ice  in  Adelaide 
Bay,  about  ^  mile  off  shore,  and  in  3  fathoms  water,  at 
eleven  o'clock  this  morning.  Having  managed  the  engines 
for  twenty-four  consecutive  hours,  I  was  not  sorry  to  get 
into  bed.  We  were  hardly  out  of  Brentford  Bay  when  ful- 
mar petrels  and  white  whales  were  seen  ;  the  first  we  have 
noticed  for  eleven  and  a  half  months.  Dovekies  are  like- 
wise abundant,  and  a  seal  has  already  been  shot.  Cress- 
well  Bay  is  perfectly  clear  of  ice,  but  this  pale  limestone 
land  is  the  perfection  of  sterility,  even  with  the  rugged  hills 
of  Brentford  Bay  in  lively  recollection. 

Upon  the  east  side  of  Port  Kennedy  the  bones  of  whales 
were  found  in  two  places  a  mile  apart  from  each  other ;  the 
lowest  of  them  was  180  feet  above  the  sea,  the  second  was 
more  than  300  feet  high.  The  latter  I  examined,  and  found 
a  jawbone,  two  ribs,  a  joint  of  the  vertebrse,  and  fragments 
of  other  bones,  all  more  or  less  buried  in  the  soil,  and  much 
heavier  than  the  bones  6f  a  recent  animal ;  they  lay  within 
40  or  60  yards  of  each  other,  and  upon  a  little  flat  patch  of 
rather  rich  earth,  a  rocky  hill  above,  and  steep  slope  below ; 
•—they  are  also  nearly  a  mile  inland. 

Of  the  traces  which  we  have  left  behind  us,  the  most  con- 
llderable  are  the  graves  of  our  two  shipmates  within  tbi 


Avf.  1859. 


A  WUITB  WHALE  SHOT. 


258 


western  point  of  our  little  harbor;  they  were  tastoriilly 
lodded  round,  and  planted  over  with  tlie  usual  Arctic  flow- 
ers. There  is  our  record  in  a  conspicuous  cairn  at  the  west 
point  of  Dep6t  or  Transition  Buy  :  wo  left  also  three  cases 
of  pemmican  near  the  east  end  of  the  Long  Lake,  and  our 
travelinj^  boat  near  itb  west  end,  at  the  head  of  False 
Strait 

Monday,  \hlh. — Strong  cast  winds,  with  much  rain,  hare 
imprisoned  us  here  for  the  last  four  days,  and  driven  the 
whole  pack  close  in,  completely  filling  up  CresswcU  Bay. 
We  remain  fast  to  the  grounded  ice,  which  shields  us  from 
pressure,  otherwise  we  should  have  been  driven  irretrievably 
on  shore.  A  couple  more  seals  and  a  white  whale  have 
been  shot;  the  latter  measured  13^  feet  long,  and  proved  to 
be  a  female  of  ordinary  dimensions,  and  of  an  uniform  cream 
color ;  the  eyes  are  extremely  small,  and  orifices  of  the  ears 
scarcely  large  enough  to  admit  a  crow-quill.  We  dined  off 
steaks  of  the  flesh,  and  prefer  it  to  seal,  which  it  very  much 
resembles,  but  it  is  not  quite  so  tender ;  the  skin  is  greatly 
prized  by  the  Oreenlanders  as  an  antiscorbutic ;  it  is  a  sort 
of  gristly  gelatinous  substance,  nearly  half  an  inch  thick, 
and  possessing  very  little  taste;  fried  and  eaten  with 
fish-sauce,  it  reminded  me  of  cod  sound,  though  not  so 
good. 

The  blubber  fills  two  twenty-gallon  casks;  it  produces 
oil  of  a  quality  superior  to  seal  oil ;  not  an  ounce  of  the 
flesh  or  skin  of  this  huge  animal  has  been  thrown  away,  the 
men  having  a  wholesome  dreod  of  scurvy,  and  unbounded 
confidence  in  "blood-meat," such  as  this  I  The  Doctor  has 
picked  up  a  few  fossils  very  similar  to  those  formerly 
bronght  home  from  Port  Leopold. 

To  our  great  joy  the  east  wind  died  away  this  morning, 
and  immediately  a  west  wind  sprang  np,  which  very  quickly 
freshened  to  a  smart  gale.  At  four  o'clock  this  afternoon 
we  were  able  to  make  tail,  the  ice  having  moved  about  8 


\ « 

it 


I    I    i 


•i-l 


254 


PASS  FURT  BEACH. 


Chap.  XVTL 


miles  off  shore.  Passed  within  a  mile  of  Fnry  Beach  two 
hoars  afterward,  and  saw  the  framing  of  the  house,  the  hoats 
and  casks  verj  distinctly. 

17/£_After  passing  Fury  Beach  it  fell  calm,  so  we 
■teamed  up  as  far  as  Batty  Bay.  On  Tuesday  afternoon  we 
were  off  Port  Leopold,  running  fast,  when  thick  fog  came 
on,  and  wc  got  involved  in  loose  ice,  and  seriously  damaged 
our  rudder.  The  boats  and  stores  at  Port  Leopold  ap- 
peared to  remain  as  we  left  them  last  year.  The  flag-staff 
on  the  summit  of  the  North-east  Cape  (over  Whale  Point) 
is  still  standing,  but  not  erect.  <* 

Fog  and  ice  obstructed  our  progress  during  the  night; 
bat  this  morning  when  I  came  on  deck  at  eight  o'clock,  the 
day  was  bright,  clear,  and  charming ;  no  ice  visible,  except 
about  Leopold  Island,  which  was  now  some  miles  behind  u^ 
Towards  evening  the  wind  became  contrary.  '  ' 
Sunday  evening,  2ls(. — At  sea — out  of  sight  of  land! 
On  the  19th  we  were  somewhat  delayed  by  loose  ice  off 
Cape  Hay,  but  by  noon  yesterday  were  close  off  Cape 
Burney,  and  whilst  almost  becalmed  there,  a  mother  bear 
swam  off  to  us  with  two  interesting  cubs  about  the  size  of 
very  large  dogs.  Foolish  creatures  I  a  volley  of  rifles  de- 
cided their  fate  in  a  very  few  seconds.  Not  finding  any 
whaling  vessels  off  Pond's  Inlet,  the  land-ice  which  shelters 
the  whales  having  all  disappeared,  we  therefore  concluded 
that  the  whalers  had  left  in  consequence,  so,  without  seeking 
for  them  further  south,  at  once  changed  our  course  for 
Disco.         '  '"-  ' 

To-day  only  a  few  icebergs  have  been  seen.  There  is  a 
good  deal  of  swell,  so  we  tumble  about.  Koast  veal  has 
appeared  amongst  the  delicacies  of  onr  table  since  the  bat- 
tue of  yesterday,  and  Christian  has  asked  for  a  portion  of 
the  old  bear  to  carry  home  to  his  mother.  Bear's  flesh  is 
really  considered  a  delicacy  in  Greenland. 

25^^. — Becalmed  off  Hare  Island,  and  getting  the  steao 


tco.  1859. 


CAPTAIN  TOUNO'S  JOURNEY. 


255 


fpady.  We  are  only  108  miles  from  Godhavn,  and  the 
insiety  to  clutch  our  letters  has  become  intolerable.  No 
pack-ice  has  been  met  with  in  our  passage  across  Baffin's 
Bay,  but  many  icebergs.  Tins  morning  the  lofty  snow-clad 
iaiiJ  of  Noursoak  and  Disco  was  beautifully  distinct ;  and 
It  tue  same  time  the  wind  died  away,  leaving  us,  at  least, 
the  opportunity  to  contemplate  at  our  leisure  their  gloomy 
frandeur.  ,   . 

26/A. — Steamed  for  ten  hours  last  night.  Fair  winds  and 
calms  have  alternated  since  then,  but  this  evening  we  are 
litbin  20  miles,  and  hope  soon  to  get  into  port.  I  have 
been  reading  over  Young's  report  of  his  spring  journey.  It 
toraprises  seventy-eight  days  of  sledge-traveling,  and  cer- 
tainly under  most  discouraging  circumstances.  Leaving  the 
ihip  on  the  7th  April,  he  crossed  the  western  strait  to 
Prince  of  Wales'  Land,  and  thence  traced  its  shore  to  the 
ioath  and  west.  On  reaching  its  southern  termination — 
e  Swinburne,  so  named  in  honor  of  Rear-Admiral 
Svinbnrne,  a  much-esteemed  friend  of  Sir  J.  Franklin,  and 
joneof  the  earliest  supporters  of  this  final  expedition — he 
jiescribes  the  land  as.extremely  low  and  deeply  covered  with 
oflr,  the  heavy  grounded  hummocks  which  fringed  its  mo« 
otonous  coast  alone  indicating  the  line  of  demarcation 
twixt  land  and  sea.  To  the  north-east  of  this  terminal 
pe  the  sea  was  covered  with  level  floe  formed  in  the  fall 
iflast  year,  whilst  all  to  the  north-westward  of  the  same 
pe  was  pack  consisting  of  heavy  ice-masses,  formed  per- 
ps  years  ago  iu  far  distant  and  wider  seas, 
looting  attempted  to  cross  the  channel  which  he  discovered 
ween  Prince  of  Wales'  Island  and  Victoria  Land  ;  but 
m  the  rugged  nature  of  the  ice,  found  it  quite  impracti. 
t)ic  with  the  means  and  time  remaining  at  his  disposal. 
oiing  expresses  his  firm  conviction  that  this  channel  is  so 
sUntly  choked  up  with  unusually  heavy  ice  as  to  be  quite 
loavigable  ;  it  is,  in  fact  a  continuous  ice-stream  from  thf 


^Vl'l 


4 


■;  !f  J 


I 


1  ,y 

if-! 

vm 

t  '*•  L 
k.>l 


-¥ 


:  M 

■'  ■  m 

\[    li-. 


I! 


it'  •  ^i 


256 


CAPTAIN  YOUNG'S  JOURNEY. 


Chap.  XUi 


N.  W.  His  opinion  coincides  with  my  own,  and  with  thi^e 
of  Captains  Omanney  and  Osborn,  when  those  omcers  (x. 
plored  the  north-western  shores  of  Prince  of  Wales*  LsM 
in  1851. 

Fearing  that  his  provisions  might  run  short,  he  sent  back 
one  sledge  with  four  men,  and  continued  his  march  with 
only  one  man  and  the  dogs  for  forty  days!  They  were 
obliged  to  build  a  snow-hut  each  night  to  sleep  in,  as  the 
tent  was  sent  back  with  the  men  ;  but  latterly,  when  the 
weather  became  more  mild,  they  preferred  sleeping  on  the 
sledge,  as  the  constructing  of  a  snow-hut  usually  occupied 
them  for  two  hours.  Young  completed  the  exploration  of| 
this  coast  beyond  the  point  marked  upon  the  charts  as  Os- 
born's  farthest,  up  nearly  to  lat.  13°  N.,  but  no  cairn  waal 
found.  Young,  however,  recognized  the  remarkably  shaped] 
conical  hills  spoken  of  by  Osborn,  when  he,  at  his  farthest  j 
in  1851,  struck  off  to  the  westward. 

The  coast-line  throughout  was  extremely  low ;  and  in  th(| 
thick,  disagreeable  weather  which  he  almost  constantly  exj 
perienced,  it  was  often  a  matter  of  great  difficulty  to  pre 
Tent  straying  off  the  coast-line  inland.  ^  He  commenced  biij 
return  on  the  11th  May,  and  reached  the  ship  on  7th  o| 
June,  in  wretched  health  and  depressed  in  spirits. 

Directly  his  health  was  partially  re-established,  he,  iii 
spite  of  the  Doctor's  remonstrances,  as  I  have  before  said] 
again  set  out  on  the  10th  with  his  party  of  men  and  do; 
to  complete  the  exploration  of  both  shores  of  the  continua| 
tion  of  Peel  Sound,  between  the  position  of  the  *  Fox'  an^ 
the  points  reached  by  Sir  James  Ross  in  1849,  and  Licutenj 
ant  Browne  in  1851.  This  he  accomplished  without  fiDdl 
ing  any  trace  of  the  lost  expedition,  and  the  parties  werj 
again  on  board  by  28th  June.  The  ice  traveled  overintbij 
last  journey  was  almost  all  formed  last  autumn. 

The  extent  of  coast-line  explored  by  Captain  Yoonj 
amountf  to  880  milei,  whilst  that  discovered  by  Hobson  aoj 


flobson 
the  last  £ 
food  thr 
very  besl 
that  we  k 
they  were 
scurvy  ad 
After  I 
culty  was 
ice  appea 
it  was  in 
smooth  l( 
heavy  ma 
been  here 
the  gloon 
for  island 
Again, 
the  ice  is 
iu  charact 
Dress  u  re  f 
^orthwarc 
▼ery  rougj 
aotice  th«J 
11} 


Aua.  1859. 


HODSON'S  JOURNEY 


251 


myself  amounts  to  nearly  420  noiles,  makinp^  a  total  of  80C 
geographical  miles  of  new  coast-line  which  we  have  laid 
lown. 

Hobson*8  report  is  a  minute  record  of  all  that  occurred 
during  his  journey  of  seventy-four  days,  and  includes  a  list 
of  ail  the  relics  brought  on  board,  or  seen  by  him.  He  suf- 
fered very  severely  in  health  :  when  only  ten  days  out  frCni 
the  ship,  traces  of  scurvy  appeared  ;  when  a  month  absent 
he  walked  lame;  towards  the  latter  end  of  the  journey  he 
was  compelled  to  allow  himself  to  be  dragged  upon  tho 
sledge,  not  being  able  to  walk  more  than  a  few  yards  at  a 
time  ;  and  on  arriving  at  the  ship  on  the  14th  of  June,  poor 
Hobson  was  unable  to  stand.  IIow  strongly  this  bears  upon 
the  last  sad  march  of  the  lost  crews  1  And  yet  Hobson's 
food  throughout  the  whole  journey  was  pemmican  of  the 
very  best  quality,  the  most  nutritions  description  of  food 
that  we  know  of,  and  varied  occasionally  by  such  game  na 
they  were  able  to  shoot.  In  spite  of  this  fresh-meut  diet, 
scurvy  advanced  with  rapid  strides. 

After  leaving  me  at  Cape  Victoria,  he  says — "  No  diffi- 
culty was  experienced  in  crossing  James  Ross'  Strait.  The 
ice  appeared  to  be  of  but  one  year's  growth  ;  and  although 
it  was  in  many  places  much  crushed  up,  we  easily  found 
smooth  leads  through  the  lines  of  hummocks ;  many  very 
heavy  masses  of  ice,  evidently  of  foreign  formation,  have 
been  here  arrested  in  their  drift :  so  large  are  they  that,  in 
the  gloomy  weather  we  experienced,  they  were  often  taken 
for  islands." 

Again,  at  Cape  Felix,  he  observes, — "  The  pressure  of 
the  ice  is  severe,  but  the  ice  itself  is  not  remarkably  I>eavy 
in  character ;  the  shoalness  of  the  coast  keeps  the  line  of 
oressure  at  considerable  distance  from  the  beuoh  ;  to  the 
northward  of  the  island  the  ice,  as  far  as  I  coula  see,  was 
very  rough,  and  crushed  up  into  large  masses^.'''  Here  we 
aotice  th«j  gradual  change  \u  the  character  of  tho  »'?¥  at 


A   L  :• 


hf'3'i 


358 


RETURX    TO   GODHAVN. 


Chap.  XVII 


Ilobson  left  the  Boothian  shore  and  advanced  towards  Vic- 
toria Strait.  The  •'  very  heavy  masses  of  ice,  evidently  of 
foreign  formation,"  had  drifted  in  from  the  N.  W.  tlirough 
M'CIure  Strait ;  Victoria  Strait  was  full  of  it ;  and  Hob. 
son's  description  of  the  ice  he  passed  over  clearly  illustrates 
bow  Franklin,  leaving  clear  water  behind  him,  pressed  his 
ships  into  the  pack  when  he  attempted  to  force  through 
Victoria  Strait.  How  very  differejit  the  result  might  and 
probably  would  have  been  had  he  known  of  the  existence  ot 
a  ship-channel,  skeltered  by  King  William  Island  from  this 
tremendous  "  polar  puck" ! 

Uobson  left  King  William's  Island  on  the  last  day  of 
May,  having  spent  thirty-one  days  on  its  desolate  shores. 
During  that  period  one  bear  and  five  willow  grouse  wcro 
shot ;  one  wolf  and  a  few  foxes  were  seen.  One  poor  fox 
was  either  so  desperately  hungry,  or  so  charmed  with  the  rare 
sight  of  animated  beings,  that  he  played  about  the  party 
until  the  dogs  snapped  him  np,  although  in  harness  and 
dragging  the  sledge  at  the  time.  A  few  gulls  were  seen, 
but  not  until  after  the  first  week  in  June. 

I  have  already  explained  how  Hobson  found  the  records 
and  the  boat:  he  exercised  his  discretionary  power  with 
sound  judgment,  and  completed  his  search  so  well,  that  in 
coming  over  the  same  ground  after  him,  I  could  not  discover 
any  trace  that  had  escaped  him. 

I  quite  agree  with  him  that  there  may  be  many  small  ar- 
ticles beneath  the  snow;  but  that  cairns,  graves,  or  any 
conspicuous  objects  could  exist  upon  so  low  and  uniform  a 
shore,  without  our  having  seen  them,  is  aZmosMmpossible. 

Sunday  evening,  29th. — Calm,  warm,  lovely  weather; 
and  we  are  thoroughly  enjoying  it  in  the  quiet  security  of 
Lively  harbor,  or  Godhavn.  Although  Friday  night  was 
dark,  we  managed  to  find  out  the  harbor's  mouth,  and 
slowly  steamed  into  it.  The  inhabitants  were  awoke  by 
Petersen  demanding  our  lef^^ers,  but  great  indeed  was  oat 


iua.  1S59. 


LETTERS    FROM    ENGLAND. 


26) 


disappointment  at  findin^^  only  a  very  few  letters  and  twc 
or  three  papers,  and  these  for  the  oflicers  only  1  It  appears 
that  on  the  arrival  of  the  whalers  in  early  spring,  the  ice 
preventea  their  usual  communication  with  the  settlement, 
therefore  the  letters  on  board  of  them  were  unavoidably  car- 
ried northward.  Some  few,  however,  which  came  out  in  the 
'Truelove,' were  landed  at  the  neighboring  settlement  of 
Noursoak,  and  from  thence  were  sent  back  to  Godhavn. 

It  is  rather  a  nervous  thing  opening  the  first  letters  aftei 
*  lapse  of  more  than  two  years.  We  received  them  in  oui 
tieds  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning ;  and  whnn  we  met  at 
breakfast  were  able,  thank  God  I  to  congratulate  each  other 
npon  the  receipt  of  cheering  home  news.  Lady  Franklin  and 
Miss  Cracroft  wrote  to  me  from  Bournemouth  in  March 
last;  They  have  traveled  more  than  we  have,  I  think,  having 
visited  almost  all  the  countries  bordering  the  Mediterranean 
and  Black  8eus,  posted  through  the  Crimea,  and  steamed 
op  the  Danube!  I  am  much  gratified  to  learn  that  I  have 
been  elected  a  member  of  the  Royal  Yacht  Squadron  during 
my  absence. 

Yesterday  morning  I  called  upon  the  inspector,  M* 
Olrik,  who  has  been  home  to  Denmark  since  I  saw  him  last 
spring.  In  the  autumn  he  took  Mrs.  Olrik  and  his  family 
to  Copenhagen,  and  had  but  just  returned  alone.  He  re- 
ceived me  with  his  usual  kindness,  and  promised  me  sucii 
^upplies  as  we  require.  It  so  happens  that  none  of  my  ex- 
pected business  letters  have  arrived,  so  that  I  am  not  ac- 
credited in  the  slightest  degree,  nor  is  there  any  hint  thrown 
out  as  to  where  I  am  to  take  the  *Fox.*  Mr.  Olrik  grtve 
me  a  large  bundle  of  *  Illustrated  London  News,*  which  was 
exceedingly  acceptable,  and  told  us  that  Austria  was  at  war 
with  France  and  Sardinia.  By  the  latest  news  a  battle  had 
been  fought  and  won  by  the  latter  Powers.     Most  fortu- 

ately  a  '  Navy  List,*  had  come  out  to  Hobson,  otherwise  I 
»aink  we  should  have  been  utterly  brokenhearted.  We  studi 


J  I 


I  i. 


!'•  ■:  il 


160 


l£AVIXQ  uodiiavn. 


CaAP.  XVllH  io«.  I85il. 


its  pages  Qtiily,  and  delight  in  noticing  the  advancement  of! 
dur  many  friends. 

Isi  Sept.,  Thursday  night. — At  sea,  on  the  pasmge,  and 
already  enjoying  by  anticipation,  the  pleasures  of  komel 
Five  busy  days  were  spent  in  Godhavn,  supplying  our  iitile 
wants,  in  as  far  as  they  could  be  supplied,  including  IOC 
gallons  of  light  beer.  The  natives  were  very  useful,  tli 
men  bringing  off  water,  stone- ballast,  and  sand,  and  al 
troop  of  Esquimaux  girls  scrubbing  the  paintwork  and  the| 
decks. 

Each  evening  the  men  went  on  shore,  taking  with  tbeol 
a  very  limited  quantity  of  rum-punch  for  the  lodies,  an- 
danced  for  several  hours  in  a  large  store ;  whilst  the  officercl 
and  myself  spent  the  time  with  Mr.  Olrik  or  the  otherl 
'I>anish  gentlemen — Messrs.  Andersen,  Bulbrue,  and  Tyiier 
Nothing  could  exceed  their  kindness  to  us,  whilst  their 
good  humor  and  their  anecdotes,  sometimes  expressed  ill 
quaint  English,  greatly  amused  us.    We  shall  always  retaiil 
very  agreeable  recollections  of  Godhavn ;  twice  has  it  beeol 
to  us  an  Arctic  home. 

Mr.  Petersen's  nieces,  the  belles  of  the  place,  came  onl 
ooard  (Miss  Sophia  with  scented  cambric  handkerchief  andl 
gloves — in  other  respects,  she  adheres  to  the  Esquinanxl 
costume) ;  they  were  pleased  with  the  organ,  althougl-  it  ii| 
out  of  repair,  and  they  sang  together  very  sweetly  f(  r  us 
Our  Esquimaux  shipmates,  Christian  and  Samuel,  wei')dis> 
charged,  and,  by  their  own  request  their  wages  giv^n  ia| 
charge  to  Mr.  Olrik  and  Mr.  Bulbrue ;  they  seemed  t  >  on> 
derstand  the  importance  of  husbanding  their  wealth.   ( bris* 
tian  said  he  thought  it  would  not  be  all  spent  under  brcel 
years.     First  of  all  he  intended  buying    a  rifle  fok*  hi8| 
brother,  and  then  some  wood  to  build  a  house  for  him£  if. 

I  was  gratified  very  much  when  I  heard  them  enj  that  I 
the  men  had  treated  them  very  well — "all  the  saaj  n!| 
brothers ;''  and  they  really  seemed  sorry  to  leave  the  t  A)/ 


aAP.  XVllH  ino.  185tf. 


VOTAOE  HOME. 


261 


they  woald  come  on  board  and  look  gravely  about  at  every 
thing  as  if  regretting  the  coming  separation.  Even  our 
poor  dogs  seemed  to  tbinlc  the  ship  their  natural  abode ; 
iltbough  landed  at  the  settlement,  they  soon  ran  round  the 
harbor  to  the  point  nearest  the  ship,  and  there,  upon  the 
rocks,  spent  the  whole  period  of  our  stay. 

On  Tuesday  night  we  set  off  some  Ore  works  on  shore  to 
amaso  the  natives,  for  I  intended  sailing  next  day,  but  the 
wind  prevented  my  doing  so.  The  last  day  was  spent  in 
the  interchange  of  presents  between  our  Danish  friends  and 
oarselves;  indeed,  the  sincere  hearty  good  feeling  which 
existed  between  every  individual  in  the  'Fox'  and  the  in- 
habitants of  the  settlement  was  as  gratifying  as  apparent. 
Almost  the  only  fresh  supplies  obtained  here  were  rock-cod 
and  salmon-trout  from  Disco  fiord.  During  our  stay  the 
weather  was  delightful ;  indeed  it  was  the  first  really  fine 
weather  they  had  experienced  at  Godhavn  during  the  pre* 
leut  season,  the  summer  having  been  cold  and  wet. 

10/A  Sept.,  Saturday  night. — To-day  we  passed  to  the 
eastward  of  Cape  Farewell,  but  about  100  miles  to  the 
mth  of  it.  The  last  iceberg  was  seen  to-day ;  and  now 
we  are  running  along  swiftly  before  a  pleasant  N.W.  breeze, 
nitherto  we  have  had  every  variety  of  wind  and  weather, 
•Tom  a  calm  to  a  gale,  but  generally  the  wind  has  been  fo' 
Tjrftble.  The  change  of  temperature  is  already  perceptible. 
Saiurday  night,  \^0i  Sept. — A  week  of  favorable  gales 
has  brougiit  xha  from  Cape  Farewell  to  within  40P  miles  of 
Land's  End,  or  about  1100  miles  of  distance.  But  such 
rough  weather  is  not  pleasant  in  so  small  a  vessel,  however 
Riach  "like  a  duck*'  she  may  be;  and  our  two  years'  sojourn 
i&  the  still  waters  of  the  frozen  North  has  made  as  Tcry 
mteptible  of  the  change. 


t 


i>\ 


■il 


i  If,  ^ 

1          !■   '  ' 

i       <  ■ 

•  m 

':      i''H 
■  til 


m 


OOKCLUSIOV. 


CONCLUSION. 


We  sailed  all  the  way  home  from  Greenland,  yet  the 
*Fox*  made  the  passage  in  only  nineteen  days,  arrivinj^  in 
the  English  Channel  on  the  20th  September;  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  21st  I  reached  London  (having  landed  at  Ports- 
mouth), and  made  known  to  the  Admiralty  the  result  of  my 
/oyage.  -  / 

On  the  23d  September  the  '  Fox'  was  taken  into  dock  at 
Blackwall ;  and,  through  the  kindness  and  promptitude  of 
the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty,  I  was  enabled  on  the  2'ith. 
when  the  crew  were  assembled  for  the  last  time,  to  present 
the  Arctic  medal  to  such  of  my  companions  as  had  not  al- 
ready received  it  for  previous  Arctic  service,  and  also  to  in- 
form Lieutenant  Hobson  that  his  promotion  to  the  rank  of 
Commander  would  speedily  take  place. 

I  will  not  intrude  upon  the  reader,  who  has  followed  me 
through  the  pages  of  this  simple  narrative,  any  description 
Df  my  feelings  on  finding  the  enthusiasm  with  which  we 
were  all  received  on  landing  upon  our  native  shores.  The 
blessing  of  Providence  had  attended  our  efforts,  and  more 
than  a  full  measure  of  approval  from  our  friends  and  coun- 
trymen has  been  our  reward.  For  myself  the  testimonial 
given  me  by  the  officers  and  crew  of  the  '  Fox*  has  touched 
me  perhaps  more  than  all.  The  purchase  of  a  gold  chrono- 
meter, for  presentation  to  me,  was  the  first  use  the  men 
made  of  their  earnings ;  and  as  long  as  I  live  it  will  remind 
me  of  that  perfect  harn-any,  that  mutual  esteem  and  good- 
will, wliic'li  made  our  ship's  company  a  happy  little  comma- 


CONCLUSION 


263 


oity,  and  contributed  materiallj  to  the  saccess  of  the  expe- 
dition.   -'..'• 

The  names  I  have  given  to  my  discoveries  are,  with  the 
exception  of  those  by  which  I  have  endeavored  to  honor 
the  members  of  the  lost  expedition,  the  names  of  active  sup- 
porters of  the  recent  search,  and  friends  of  Franklin  and  his 
companions,  though  such  names  are  fur  from  exhausting  the 
number  of  those  who  have  the  highest  claims  to  distinction 
on  both  grounds. 

It  will  be  observed  that  I  have  refrained  from  repeating 
Dames  which  have  already  been  commemorated  by  preceding 
commanders,  and  which  therefore  are  already  in  our  tMiarin. 
Besides  the  individuals  already  mentioned  in  the  narrative, 
Sir  Thomas  D.  Acland,  one  of  the  most  zealous  promoteiu 
of  the  search,  both  in  and  out  of  the  House  of  Commons  j 
Monsieur  De  la  Koquette,  Vice-President  of  the  Geograph 
ical  Society  of  Paris,  and  author  of  an  interesting  bio- 
graphy of  Franklin;  Rear-Admiral  Fitzroy;  and  Major 
General  Pasley,  R.  E.,  stand  high  amongst  those  whom  i 
lias  been  my  privilege  to  honor. 

Although  much  talent  has  been  brought  to  bear  upon  U.^ 
deciphering  of  the  letters  found  in  a  pocketbook  near  Cape 
Herschell  (page  248  ante),  yet,  from  their  being  so  very 
much  defaced  by  time,  only  a  few  detached  sentences  have 
been  made  out,  and  these  do  not  in  the  slightest  degree 
refer  to  the  proceedings  of  the  lost  expedition. 

It  will  be  seen  that  I  have  noticed  (page  260)  the  dis- 
crepancy between  the  number  of  souls  acconnted  for  by  the 
Point  Victory  Record,  and  the  generally  received  opinion 
tiiat  138  individuals  sailed  in  the  'Erebus'  and  'Terror.' 

I  am  now  enabled  to  state,  on  the  authority  of  the  Ad- 
miralty, that  only  one  hundred  and  thirty-four  individuals 
left  the  United  Kingdom,  and  of  these  five  men  subsequently 
returned :  one  by  H.  M.  S.  '  Rattler,'  and  four  by  the  trans- 
port 'Baretto   Janior;'  so  thai  only  one  hundred  and 


I.  1; 


r:4 


m 


I-  it  I 


Mi 


: '  Mi 


964 


CONCLUSION. 


twenty-nino — the  exact  number  mentioned  in  the  record— 
actually  entered  the  ice.    The  fi?e  inyalida  were  — 

From  U.  H.  S. '  Terror/  John  Brown,  Able  leaman. 

«  Robert  Carr,  Armorer. 

"  Jamei  Elliot,  Sailmaker. 

"  William  Aitken,  Marine. 

Fr<nn  n.M.S.'ErobiM/  Thomaa  Birt|  Armorer. 

The  reh>8  we  have  brought  home  have  been  deposited  by 
the  Admiralty  in  the  United  Service  Institution,  and  novr 
form  a  pp.tional  memento — the  most  simple  and  most  touch- 
ing— of  those  heroic  men  who  perished  in  the  path  of  duty, 
but  net  nntil  they  had  achieved  the  grand  object  of  their 
▼oya^O, — ^the  Discovery  of  the  North'West  Pa$9age, 


APPENDIX. 


)i\ 


C( 


•|   i.r, 


i 


No.  T. 

A  LETTER-TO  VISCOUNT  PALMERSTON,  K.  Q.,  Uc  . 
FROM  LADY  FRANKLIN. 

80  Pnll  Mall,  Deooinber  2.  iBdft. 

My  Lord, — 

I  trust  I  may  be  permitted,  as  the  widow  of  Sir  Jona 
Franklin,  to  draw  the  attention  of  Her  Majesty's  Govern- 
ment  to  the  unsettled  state  of  a  question  which  a  few 
months  ago  was  under  their  consideration,  and  to  express  a 
well-grounded  hope  that  a  final  effort  may  be  made  to 
ascertain  the  fate  and  recover  the  remains  of  my  husband's 
expedition. 

Your  Lordship  will  allow  me  to  remind  you  that  a  Me 
morial'*'  with  this  object  in  view  (of  which  I  enclose  a 
printed  copy)  was  early  in  June  last  presented  to,  and 
kindly  received  by  you.  It  had  been  signed  within  forty 
eight  hours  by  all  the  leading  men  of  science  then  in 
London  who  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  it,  and  might 
have  received  an  indefinite  augmentation  of  worthy  names 
had  not  the  urgency  of  the  question  forbidden  delay.  To 
the  above  names  were  appended  those  of  the  Arctic  officers 
who  had  been  personally  engaged  in  the  search,  and  who, 
though  absent,  were  known  to  be  favorable  to  another 


*  See  Appendix  II. 


(965) 


!t 


PI 

m 

cj 


J-  1 


f  f.-T  l-iiJ 

■  '  ■:  m 


:.m 


M 


966 


APPENDIX. 


Ko.  I. 


efTort  for  its  completion.  And  though  that  onited  applico- 
tion  obtained  no  immediate  reAult,  it  wos  felt,  and  l)y  no  one 
more  strongly  than  rojsolf,  that  it  never  could  be  utterly 
wasted. 

I  Tenture  also  to  »^uu'e  to  a  letler  o»'  my  own  addressed 
to  the  Lords  Commi  si  )nersof  the  Admiralty  in  April  last, 
and  a  copy  of  which  accompanied,  I  believe,  the  Memorial 
to  your  Lordship,  wherein  I  earnestly  deprecated  any  pre* 
mature  adjudication  of  the  reward  claimed  by  Dr.  Hoe,  od 
the  gf ?.:nd  that  the  fate  of  my  husband's  expedition  was 
not  yet  ascertained,  and  that  it  was  due  both  to  the  living 
and  the  dead  to  complete  a  search  which  had  been  hitherto 
pursued  under  the  greatest  disadvantage,  for  want  of  the 
?lue  which  was  now  for  the  first  time  in  our  hands. 

The  Memorial  above  alluded  to,  and  my  own  letter  of 
earlier  date,  had  not  yet  received  any  reply,  when,  in  the 
month  of  July,  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty  caused  prompt 
inquiries  to  be  made  as  to  the  possibility  of  equipping  a 
ship  at  that  advanced  season,  in  time  for  effective  opera- 
tions in  the  field  of  search.  The  result  wos  that  it  wai 
pronounced  to  be  too  late,  and  the  subject  was  dismissed 
for  that  season. 

Upon  this  I  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Board  (of  which  I 
take  the  liberty  to  enclose  a  copy),  respectfully  showing 
that  by  this  unfortunate  delay  the  opportunity  had  also 
been  taken  from  me  of  sending  out  a  vessel  at  my  own  cost, 
a  measure  which  I  had  previously  felt  myself  obliged  to 
state  to  their  Lordships  would  be  the  alternative  of  any 
adverse  decision  on  their  part.  I  pleaded  therefore,  as  the 
only  remedy  for  the  loss  of  an  entire  summer  season,  that 
the  route  by  Behring  Straits  was  by  some  of  the  most  com- 
petent  Arctic  officers  considered  preferable  to  the  eastern 
route,  and  that  the  equipment  of  a  vessel  for  this  direction 
need  not  take  place  before  the  close  of  the  year. 

In  reply,  their  Lordships  caused  me  to  be  informed  that 


No.  1. 


Ko. 


WALRUSES — A   FAMILY   PARTY. 
From  a  Sketch  by  Captain  Allen  Young. 


"they  ha( 
to  the  A I 

This  cc 
my  own  1 
reply,  anc 
put  a  que 
Lords  at 
Her  Maj( 
liiniiiary 
OoverniiK 
tiun  durin 
the  conv( 
himself  as 
mude  to  h 
being  no 
fitting  ou 
Wrottcsle 
letter. 

But,  mj 
few  month 
miralty,  ei 
eSurt,  and 
ground  th 
son,  I  tras 
open  a  do 
of  one  wh 
favorable 
when  I  tru 
with  whon 
by  Turther 

I  have 
we  are  not 
nnfortunat 
of  sending 
ship  that 


So. 


APPENDIX. 


26T 


"they  had  come  to  the  decision  not  to  send  any  expedition 
to  the  Arctic  regions  in  the  present  year." 

This  communication,  however,  was  in  answer  merely  to 
my  own  letter.  The  Memorialists  had  as  yet  received  no 
reply,  and  accordingly  the  President  of  the  Royal  Society 
put  a  question  respecting  the  Memorial  in  the  House  of 
Lords  at  the  close  of  the  session,  which  drew  from  one  of 
Her  Majesty's  Ministers  (Lord  Stanley),  after  some  pre- 
liminary observations,  the  assurance  that  Her  Mnjesty's 
Government  would  give  the  subject  their  serious  considera- 
tion during  the  recess.  I  may  be  permitted  to  add,  that,  in 
the  conversation  which  followed.  Lord  Stanley  expressed 
himself  as  very  favorably  disposed  towards  a  proposition 
made  to  him  by  Lord  Wrottesley,  that,  in  the  event  of  there 
being  no  Government  expedition,  I  should  be  assisted  in 
fitting  out  my  own  expedition ;  an  assurance  which  Lord 
Wrottesley  had  the  kindness  to  communicate  to  me  by 
letter. 

But,  my  Lord,  as  nothing  has  occurred  within  the  last 
few  months  to  weaken  the  reasons  which  induced  the  Ad- 
miralty, early  in  July  last,  to  contemplate  another  final 
effort,  and  as  they  put  it  aside  at  that  time  on  the  sole 
ground  that  it  was  too  late  to  equip  a  vessel  for  that  sea- 
son, I  trust  it  will  be  felt  that  I  am  not  endeavoring  to  re- 
open a  closed  question,  but  merely  to  obtain  the  settlement 
of  one  which  has  not  ceased  to  be,  and  is  even  now,  under 
favorable  consideration.  The  time  has  arrived,  however, 
vhcn  I  trust  I  maybe  pardoned  for  pressing  your  Lordship, 
with  whom  I  believe  the  question  rests,  for  a  decision,  since 
by  further  delay  even  my  own  efforts  may  be  paralyzed. 

I  have  cherished  the  hope,  in  common  with  others,  that 
we  are  not  waiting  in  vain.  Should,  however,  that  decision 
nnfortunately  throw  upon  me  the  responsibility  and  the  cost 
of  sending  out  a  vessel  myself,  I  beg  to  assure  your  Lord- 
that  1  shall  not  shrink,  either  from  that  weighty  re* 


•  s 


ii 


•1 
'I  * 


li     !: 


:    if 


i;  ■> 


■■  ■  m^ 
;    m 


i 


m 


i 


20a 


APPENDIX. 


No.  1 


gponsibility,  or  from  the  sacrifice  of  my  entire  available 
fortune  for  the  purpose,  supported  as  I  am  in  my  convic* 
tions  by  such  hiji^h  authorities  as  those  whose  opinions  are 
on  record  in  your  Lordship's  hands,  and  by  the  hearty  sym- 
patliy  of  many  more. 

But  before  I  t&ke  upon  myself  so  heavy  an  obligation,  it 
is  my  bounden  duty  to  entreat  her  Majesty's  Governmett 
not  to  disregard  the  arguments  which  have  led  so  many 
competent  and  honorable  men  to  feel  that  our  country's 
honor  is  not  satisfied,  whilst  a  mystery  which  has  excited 
the  sympathy  of  the  civilized  world,  remains  uncleared. 
Nor  less  would  I  entreat  you  to  consider  what  must  be  the 
unsatisfactory  consequences,  if  any  endeavors  should  be 
made  to  quench  all  further  efforts  for  this  object. 

It  cannot  be  that  this  long-vexed  question  would  thereby 
be  set  at  rest,  for  it  would  still  be  true  that  in  a  certain  cir- 
cumscribed area  within  the  Arctic  circle,  approachable 
alike  from  the  east,  and  from  the  west,  and  sure  to  be  at* 
tained  by  a  combination  of  both  movements,  lies  the  solu- 
tion of  our  unhappy  countrymen's  fate.  While  such  is  the 
case,  the  question  will  never  die.  I  believe  that  again  and 
again  would  efforts  be  made  to  reach  that  spot,  and  that  the 
Government  could  not  look  on  as  unconcerned  spectators, 
nor  be  relieved  in  public  opinion  of  the  responsibility  they 
had  prematurely  cast  off. 

But  I  refrain  from  pursuing  this  argument,  though,  if 
any  illustration  were  wanting  of  its  truth,  I  think  it  might 
be  found  in  the  events  that  are  passing  before  our  eyes. 

It  is  now  about  two  years  ago  that  one  of  Her  Majesty's 
Arctic  ships  was  abandoned  in  the  ice.  In  due  time  this 
ship  floated  away,  was  picked  up  by  an  American  whaler, 
carried  into  an  American  port,  and  (all  property  in  her  hav- 
ing been  relinquished  by  the  Admiralty)  was  purchased  of 
her  rescuers  by  the  American  Government,  by  whom  she 
h«x8  been  lavishly  re-equipped,  and  is  now  on  her  passage  tc 


Ko.I 


APPENDIX. 


269 


England,  a  free  gift  to  the  Queen.  The  '  Resolate'  is  about 
to  be  dcliyered  up  in  Portsmouth  harbor,  not  merely  in  evi- 
dence of  the  cordial  relation  existing  between  the^wo  coun- 
tries, but  as  a  lively  token  of  the  deep  interest  and  sym- 
pathy of  the  Americans  in  that  great  cause  of  humanity 
in  which  they  have  so  nobly  borne  their  part.  The  resolu- 
tion of  Congress  expressly  states  this  motive,  and  indeed 
there  could  be  no  other,  as  it  is  well  known  that  for  any 
other  purpose  but  the  Arctic  service  those  equipments  would 
be  perfectly  useless  and  require  removal. 

My  Lord,  you  will  not  let  this  rescued  and  restored  ship, 
emblematic  of  so  many  enlightened  and  generous  sentiments, 
fail,  even  partially,  in  her  significant  mission.  I  venture  to 
hope  that  she  will  be  accepted  in  the  spirit  in  which  she  is 
sent.  I  humbly  trust  that  the  American  people,  and  espe- 
cially that  philanthropic  citizen  who  has  spent  so  largely  of 
bis  private  fortune  in  the  search  for  the  lost  ships,  and  to 
whom  was  committed  by  his  Government  the  entire  charge 
of  the  equipment  of  the  'Resolute,'  will  be  rewarded  for 
this  signal  act  of  sympathy,  by. seeing  her  restored  to  her 
original  vocation,  so  that  she  may  bring  back  from  the 
Arctic  seas,  if  not  some  living  remnant  of  our  long-lost 
countrymen,  yet  at  least  the  proofs  that  they  have  nobly 
perished. 

I  need  not  add  that  we  have  as  yet  no  proofs,  whatever 
may  be  our  melancholy  forebodings.  That  such  is  the  fact, 
in  a  legal  point  of  view,  is  shown  by  a  case  now  or  lately 
pending  in  the  Scotch  courts,  in  which  the  right  of  succes- 
sion to  a  considerable  property  is  not  admitted,  on  account 
of  the  absence  of  all  but  conjectural  testimony.  In  this 
aspect  of  the  question  I  have  no  personal  interest,  but  it  is 
one  that  may  not  be  deemed  unworthy  of  your  Lordship's 
attention,  combined  as  it  must  be  with  the  fact  that  our 
most  experienced  Arctic  officers  are  willing  to  stake  their 
reputation  upon  the  feasibility  of  reaching  the  spot  where  so 


:■! 


m 

;i!);T 


'^^•■i 


m 


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APPENDIX. 


No.  I 


many  secrets  lie  buried,  if  only  they  are  supplied  wilh  the 
adequate  means. 

It  would  be  a  waste  of  words  to  attempt  to  refute  a^nin 
the  main  objections  that  have  been  urged  against  a  renewed 
search,  as  involving  extraordinary  danger  and  risking  lire. 
The  safe  return  of  our  officers  and  men  cannot  be  denied, 
neither  will  it  be  disputed  that  each  succeeding  year  di- 
minishes the  risk  of  casualty;  and  indeed,  I  feel  it  would 
be  especially  superfluous  and  unseasonable  to  argue  ogninst 
this  particular  objection,  or  against  the  finnncial  one  which 
generally  accompanies  it,  at  a  moment  when  new  expedi- 
tions for  the  glorious  interests  of  science,  and  which  ever; 
true  lover  of  science  and  of  his  country  must  rejoice  in,  are 
contemplated  for  the  interior  of  Africa  and  other  parts 
which  are  far  less  favorable  to  human  life  than  the  icy  re- 
gions of  the  north. 

But  with  respect  to  expenditure,  I  may  perhaps  be  allowed, 
as  I  have  alluded  to  that  topic,  again  to  call  to  your  Lord- 
ship's attentiou  that  the  'Resolute'  is  ready  equipped  for 
Arctic  service  by  the  munificence  of  another  nation,  and  to 
add  that  other  Arctic  ships,  equally  well  fitted  for  the  pur- 
pose, are  lying  useless  in  Her  Majesty's  dockyards,  along 
with  accumulated  Arctic  stores  brought  back  by  the  late 
expeditions,  and  therefore  long  since  included  in  the  navy 
estimates ;  and  which,  besides,  are  available  only  for  Arctic 
service,  and,  if  sold,  would  be  bought  at  only  nominal 
prices.  In  addition  to  the  above  sources  of  supply  are 
those  already  existing  on  the  Arctic  shores,  which  are  now 
studded  with  depots  of  provisions  and  fuel,  left  from  the  last 
and  former  expeditions,  and  fit  as  ever  for  use,  because  of 
the  conservative  properties  of  the  climate. 

But  even  were  the  expenditure  greater  than  can  thus  rea- 
sonably be  expected,  I  sibmit  to  your  Lordship  that  this  is 
a  case  of  no  ordinary  exigency.  These  135  men  of  the 
'Ersbus'  and  '  Terror'  (or  perhaps  I  should  rather  say  the 


No.  L 


APPENDIX 


S71 


greater  part  of  them,  since  we  do  not  yet  know  that  there 
are  no  survivors)  hove  laid  down  their  lives,  after  sufTcrings 
doubtless  of  unexampled  severity,  in  the  service  of  their 
country,  as  truly  as  if  they  had  perished  by  tlie  rifle,  the 
cannon-ball,  or  the  bayonet.  Nay  more  —  by  attaining  the 
northern  and  already-surveyed  coast  of  America,  it  is  clear 
that  they  solved  the  problem  which  was  the  object  of  their 
labors,  or,  in  the  beautiful  words  of  Sir  John  Richardson, 
that  "  they  forged  the  last  link  of  the  North-West  passage 
with  their  lives." 

Surely,  then,  I  may  plead  for  such  men,  that  a  careful 
search  be  miide  for  any  possible  survivor,  that  the  bones  of 
the  dead  be  sought  for  and  gathered  together,  that  their 
buried  records  be  unearthed,  or  recovered  from  the  hands 
of  the  Esquimaux,  and  above  all,  that  their  last  written 
words,  so  precious  to  their  bereaved  families  and  friends,  be 
saved  from  destruction.  A  mission  so  sacred  is  worthy  of 
a  government  which  has  grudged  and  spared  nothing  for  its 
heroic  soldiers  and  sailors  in  other  Gelds  of  warfare,  and  will 
surely  be  approved  by  our  gracious  Queen,  who  overlooks 
none  of  Her  loyal  subjects  suffering  and  dying  for  their 
country's  honor. 

This  final  and  exhausting  search  is  all  I  seek  in  behalf  of 
the  first  and  only  martyrs  to  Arctic  discovery  in  modern 
times,  and  it  is  all  I  ever  intend  to  ask. 

But  if,  notwithstanding  all  I  have  presumed  to  urge.  Tier 
Majesty's  Government  decline  to  complete  the  work  they 
have  carried  on  up  to  this  critical  moment,  but  leave  it  to 
private  hands  to  finish,  I  must  then  respectfully  request  that 
measure  of  assistance  in  behalf  of  my  owft  expedition  which 
I  have  been  led  to  expect  on  the  authority  of  Lord  Stanley, 
as  communicated  to  me  by  Lord  Wrottesley,  and  on  that  of 
the  First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty,  as  communicated  to  Colo* 
Del  Phipps  iu  a  letter  in  my  possession. 

It  is  with  no  desire  to  avert  from  myself  the  sacrifice  of 


':■!■■.' 1 


Mm 

■•i 


1  ■■•.■ ,  * 


tt2 


APPENDIX. 


Ko.L 


my  own  funds,  which  I  devote  without  reserve  to  the  object 
in  view,  that  I  plead  for  a  liberal  interpretation  of  those 
communications,  but  I  owe  it  to  the  conscientious  and  high- 
minded  Arctic  officers  who  have  generously  offered  me  their 
tcrvices,  that  my  expedition  should  be  made  as  efficient  ns 
possible,  however  restricted  it  may  be  in  extent.  The  Ad- 
miralty, I  feel  sure,  will  not  deny  me  what  may  be  necessary 
for  this  purpose,  since,  if  I  do  all  I  can  with  my  own  means, 
any  deficiences  and  shortcomings  of  a  private  exiviitioo 
cannot  I  think  be  justly  laid  to  my  charge. 

In  conclusion,  I  would  earnestly  entreat  of  Her  Majesty's 
Government,  while  this  subject  is  still  nnder  deliberation, 
that  they  would  be  pleased  to  obtain  the  opinions  of  those 
persons  who,  in  consequence  of  their  practical  knowledge 
and  vast  experience,  may  be  considered  best  qualified  to 
express  them  in  the  present  emergency.  And  as  it  must  be 
in  the  ranks  of  those  officers  who  would  naturally  be  selected 
for  command  of  any  final  expedition  that  these  qualifications 
will  most  assuredly  be  found,  I  trust  I  may  be  pardoned  for 
directing  your  Lordship's  attention  to  the  names  (which  I 
put  down  in  the  order  of  their  seniority)  of  Captains  Col- 
linson,  Richards,  McClintock,  Maguirc,  and  Osborn.  All 
these  officers  have  passed  winter  after  winter  in  Arctic  service, 
have  carried  out  those  skillful  sledge  operations  which  have 
added  so  much  to  our  knowledge  of  Arctic  Geography, 
and  have  ever,  in  the  exercise  of  combined  courage  and 
discretion,  avoided  disaster,  and  brought  home  their  crews 
Ml  health  and  safety. 

I  commit  the  prayer  of  this  letter,  for  the  length  of  which 
I  beg  much  to  apologize,  to  your  Lordship's  patient  an*^ 
kind  consideration,  feeling  assured  that,  however  the  burr'.ou 
of  it  may  pall  upon  the  ear  of  some,  who  apparently  judge 
of  it  neither  by  the  heart  nor  by  the  head,  you  will  not  on 
that  or  on  any  light  ground,  hastily  dismiss  it.  Rather 
may  you  be  impelled  to  feel  that  the  shortest  and  snres) 


So.  I. 


APPENDIX. 


2*78 


way  to  set  the  importunate  question  at  rest,  is  to  submit  it 
to  that  final  investigation  which  will  satisfy  the  yearnings 
of  surviving  relatives  and  friends,  and,  what  is  justly  of 
higher  import  to  your  Lordship,  the  credit  and  honOr  of 
the  country. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  etc., 

Jane  Frankliv. 
The  Right  Hon.  Yisconnt  Palmerston,  K..Q. 


18 


^^■■i::^l 


V-'.' 
'■■': 


%u 


APPENDIX. 


No.n. 


No.   II. 

MEMORIAL  TO  THE  RIGHT  HON.  VISCOUNT 
PALMERSTON,  M.  P.,  G.C.B. 


London,  June  5th,  1S56. 

Impressed  witJ  the  belief  that  Her  Majesty's  missing 
ships,  t!ie  'Erebus'  and  'Terror,'  or  their  remains,  are  still 
frozen  up  at  no  great  distance  from  the  spot  whence  certain 
relics  of  Sir  John  Franklin  and  his  crews  were  obtained 
by  Dr.  Rae, — we  whose  names  are  undersigned,  whether 
men  of  science  and  others  who  have  taken  a  deep  interest 
in  Arctic  discovery,  or  explorers  who  have  been  employed 
in  the  search  for  our  lost  countrymen,  beg  earnestly  to  im- 
press upon  your  Lordship  the  desirableness  of  sending  out 
an  Expedition  to  satisfy  the  honor  of  our  country,  and 
clear  up  a  mystery  which  has  excited  the  sympathy  of  the 
civilized  world. 

This  request  is  supported  l)y  many  persons  well  versed 
in  Arctic  surveys,  who,  seeing  that  the  proposed  Expedi- 
tion is  to  be  directed  to  one  limited  area  only,  are  of 
opinion  that  the  object  is  attainable,  and  with  little  risk. 

We  can  scarcely  believe  that  the  British  Government, 
which  to  its  great  credit  has  made  so  many  efforts  in  various 
directions  to  discover  even  the  route  pursued  by  Franklin, 
should  cease  to  prosecute  research,  now  that  the  locality 
has  been  clearly  indicated  where  the  vessels  or  their  re- 
mains must  lie, — including,  as  we  hope,  records  which  will 
throw  fresh  light  on  Arctic  geography,  and  dispel  the 
obscurity  in  which  the  voyage  and  fate  of  our  countrymen 
are  still  involved. 

Although  most  persons  have  arrived  at  the  conclusion 
that  there  can  now  be  no  survivors  of  Franklin's  Expedi- 
tion, yet  there  are  eminent  men  in  onr  own  country  and  io 


No.  II. 


APPENDIX. 


21b 


America  who  hold  a  contrary  opinion.  Dr.  Knne,  of  the 
United  States,  for  example,  who  has  distinp^nished  himself 
by  pushing  further  to  the  north  in  search  of  Franklin  than 
any  otiier  individual,  and  to  whom  the  Royal  Geographical 
Society  has  recently  awarded  its  Founder's  Gold  Medal, 
thus  speaks  (in  a  letter  to  the  benevolent  Mr.  Grinnell) : — 
"I  am  really  in  doubt  as  to  the  preservation  of  human  life. 
I  well  know  how  glad  I  would  have  been,  had  my  duty  to 
others  permitted  me,  to  have  taken  refuge  among  the  Es- 
quimaux of  Smith  Strait  and  Etuh  Bay.  Strange  as  iK 
may  seem  to  you,  we  regarded  the  coarse  life  of  these 
people  with  eyes  of  envy,  and  did  not  doubt  but  that  we 
could  have  lived  in  comfort  upon  their  resources.  It  re- 
quired all  my  powers,  moral  and  physical,  to  prevent  my 
men  from  deserting  to  the  Walrus  Settlements,  and  it  was 
my  final  intention  to  have  taken  to  Esquimaux  life  had 
Providence  not  carried  us  through  in  our  hazardous  escape.'* 

But  passing  from  speculation,  apd  confining  ourselves 
alone  to  the  question  of  finding  the  missing  ships  or  their 
records,  we  would  observe  that  no  land  Expedition  down 
the  Back  River,  like  that  which,  with  great  diflBculty,  re- 
cently reached  Montreal  Island,  can  satisfactorily  accom- 
plish the  end  we  have  in  view.  The  frail  birch-bark 
canoes  in  which  Mr.  Anderson  conducted  his  search 
with  so  much  ability,  the  dangers  of  the  river,  the 
sterile  nature  of  the  tract  near  its  embouchure,  and  the 
necessary  failure  of  provisions,  prevented  the  commence- 
ment, even,  of  such  a  search  as  can  alone  be  satisfactorily 
and  thoroughly  accomplished  by  the  crew  of  a  man-of-war, 
—to  say  nothing  of  the  moral  influence  of  a  strong  armed 
party  remaining  in  the  vicinity  of  the  spot  until  the  confi- 
dence of  the  natives  be  obtained. 

Many  Arctic  explorers,  independent  of  those  whose 
names  are  appended,  and  v/ho  are  absent  on  service,  have 
expres&ed  their  belief  that  there  are  several  routes  by  whicb 


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APPENDIX. 


No.  II 


a  «cret<NVcs8cl  could  so  closely  approach  the  area  in  qucs- 
tiui)  us  to  clenr  up  all  doubt. 

In  respect  to  one  of  these  courses,  or  that  by  Bchring 
btruit,  alon«^  the  coast  of  North  America,  we  know  that  a 
tingle  sniling  vessel  passed  to  Cambridge  Bay,  within  150 
miles  of  the  mouth  of  the  Back  River,  and  returned  homo 
un.scatlied, — its  commander  having  expressed  his  conviction 
tlmt  the  passage  in  question  is  so  constantly  open  that  ships 
can  navigate  it  without  difficulty  in  one  seoson.  Other 
routes,  whether  by  Regent  Inlet,  Peel  Sound,  or  across 
from  Repulse  Buy,  are  preferred  by  officers  whose  experi- 
ence in  Arctic  matters  entitles  them  to  every  consideration ; 
wniist  in  reference  to  two  of  these  routes  it  is  right  to 
state  that  vast  quantities  of  provisions  have  been  leD  lu 
their  vicinity. 

Without  venturing  to  suggest  which  of  these  plans  should 
be  adopted,  we  earnestly  beg  your  Lordship  to  sanction 
without  delay  such  an  expedition  as,  in  the  judgment  of  a 
Committee  of  Arctic  voyagers  and  Geogn [hers,  may  be 
considered  best  adapted  to  secure  the  object. 

We  would  ask  your  Lordship  to  reflect  upon  the  great 
difference  between  a  clearly-defined  voyage  to  a  narrow 
and  circumscribed  area,  within  which  the  missing  vessels  or 
their  remains  must  lie,  and  those  formerly  necessarily  ten- 
tative explorations  in  various  directions,  the  frequent  allu- 
sions to  the  difficulty  of  which,  in  regions  far  to  the  north 
of  the  voyage  now  contemplated,  have  led  persons  unac- 
quainted with  geography  to  suppose  that  such  a  modified 
and  limited  attempt  as  that  which  we  propose  involves  far- 
ther risk  and  may  call  for  future  researches.  The  very 
nature  of  the  former  expeditions  exposed  them,  it  is  true,  to 
risk,  since  regions  had  to  be  traversed  which  were  totally 
unknown ;  while  the  search  we  ask  for  is  to  be  directed  to 
a  circumscribed  area,  the  confines  of  which  have  already 
been  reached  without  difficulty  by  one  of  Her  Majesty'i 
▼easolfi.  " 


No.  II. 


APPENDIX. 


271 


Now,  inasmuch  as  France,  after  repeated  fruitless  eflTorts 
to  ascertain  the  fate  of  La  Pcrouse,  no  sooner  heard  of  the 
discovery  of  some  relics  of  that  eminent  navigator,  than  srio 
sent  out  a  Searching  Expedition  to  collect  every  fragment 
pertaining  to  his  vessels,  so  we  trust  that  those  Arctic  re- 
searches which  have  reflected  much  honor  upon  our  cou'^try 
may  not  be  abandoned  at  the  very  moment  when  an  ex- 
planation of  the  wanderings  and  fate  of  our  lost  naviga^om 
seems  to  be  within  our  grasp. 

In  conclusion,  we  further  earnestly  pray  that  it  may  not 
be  left  to  the  efforts  of  individuals  of  another  and  kindred 
nation,  already  so  distinguished  in  this  cause,  nor  yet  to  tUe 
noble-minded  widow  of  our  lamented  friend,  to  make  un 
endeavor  which  can  be  so  much  more  effectively  carried  out 
by  the  British  Government. 

We  have  the  honor  to  be,  &c., 


F.  Beaufort, 

R.  I.  MURCHISON, 

F.  W.  Beechey, 
Wrottesley, 

E.  Sabine, 

Eqerton  Ellsmere, 

W.  Whewell, 

R.  Collinson, 

W.  H.  Sykes 

C.  Daubeny, 

J.  Fergus, 

P.  E.  de  Stzrelecki, 

W.  II.  Smyth, 

A.  Majendie, 

R.  FiTZROY, 

E.  Gardiner  Fishbourne. 
R.  Brown, 

G.  Macartney. 


L.  Horner, 

W.  H.  FiTTON 

• 

Lyon  Playfaib. 
T.  Thorp. 
0.  Wheatstonb, 
W.  J.  Hooker, 
J.  D.  Hooker, 
J.  Arrowsmith, 
P.  La  Trobe, 
W.  A.  B.  Hamiltqi^ 
R.  Stephenson, 

J.  E.  PORTLOCK, 

C.  Piazzi  Smytm, 
C.  W.  Pasley, 
G.  Rennie, 
J.  P.  Uassiot, 
G.  B.  Airy, 
J.  F.  BuBooTNm. 


f 


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i:'i"ii 


\  i'  •;  i; ' ■'■'I 


Yi 


278 


APPENDIX. 


No.  II. 


The  following  ofBcers  of  tho  Royal  Navy,  who  have  been 
employed  in  the  search  after  Franklin,  and  who  are  now 
absent  from  London,  have  previously  expressed  themselves 
to  be  favorable  to  tho  final  expedition  above  recom< 
mended : — 


Captains  Sir  James  C.  Ross, 
and  Str  Edward  Belcher  ; 
dommudore  Kellett  ; 
Cuutoins  Austin, 

l^IRD, 

Omanney, 

Sir  Robert  M'Clubi, 

Sherard  Osborn, 

Inqlefield, 


Captains  Maouire, 
M'CuNTocK,  and 
Richards  ; 

Commanders  Aldrico, 
M  ecu  AM, 
Trollope,  and 
Cresswell  ; 

Lieutenants  Hamiltom 
and  PiM. 


Vo-IIL 


APPENDIX. 


No.   III. 


2TI 


LIST  OP  RELICS  OF  THE  FRANKLIN  EXPEDITION, 

Broaglit  to  Eu.land  In  the  '  Vox,'  hj  Captain  M'Cuntook. 

Relics  broup^ht  from  the  boat  found  in  lat.  69^  08'  43'  X., 
loiip^.  99°  24'  42"  W.,  upon  the  West  Coast  of  King 
William  Island,  May  30,  1859:— 

Two  doahle-barrelled  gunn,  on«  barrel  in  each  ii  loaded.  Found  ilaiid* 
log  up  ngniniit  the  vide  in  the  after  part  of  the  boat. 

A  Hmnll  Prayer  Book;  cover  of  a  imall  boolc  of  'Familj  Prayeri;' 
<  Christian  Melodiea,'  an  inaoription  within  the  cover  to  "Q.  0."  (Gra- 
bam  Oore  ?) ;  '  Vicar  of  Wakefield ;'  a  small  Bible,  interlined  in  manj 
placea,  and  with  numerous  reforonoei  written  in  the  margin ;  a  New  Tea* 
tament  in  the  French  language. 

Two  table  knivea  with  white  handlea — one  ia  marked  "W.  R. ;"  a  gim* 
let ;  an  awl ;  two  iron  atanchions,  9  inches  long,  for  aupporting  a  weather 
cloth,  which  waa  round  the  boat. 

28  pieoea  of  silver  plate — 11  spoons,  11  forks, and  4  teaspoons;  H  pieces 
of  thin  elmboard  (tingles)  for  repairing  the  boat,  and  measuring  11  inches 
by  6  inches,  and  3-lOths  inch  thick. 

Piece  of  canvas : — Bristles  for  shoemaker's  nso,  bullets,  ahort  clay  pipe, 
roll  of  waxed  twine,  a  wooden  button,  amall  piece  of  a  port-fire,  two 
cbargea  of  ahot  tied  up  in  the  finger  of  a  kid  glove,  fragment  of  a  sea- 
man's  blue  aerge  frock.  Covers  of  a  amall  Teatament  and  Prayer  Book, 
part  of  a  graaa  cigar-caae,  fragment  of  a  silk  handkerchief,  thread-case, 
piece  of  acented  aoap,  three  ahot  charges  in  kid  glove  fingers,  a  belted 
bullet,  a  piece  of  ailk  pocket  handkerchief.  T^o  paira  of  gogglea,  made 
of  stout  leather  and  wire  gauze,  instead  of  glaaa ;  a  aailmaker'a  palm,  two 
small  brass  pocket  compaaaea,  a  anooding  line  rolled  up  on  a  piece  of 
leather,  a  needle  and  thread  caae,  a  bayonet  scabbard  altered  into  a 
sheath  for  a  knife,  tin  water  bottle  for  the  pocket,  two  shot  pouches  (full 
of  ahot). 

The  spring  hooks  of  sword  belts,  a  gold  lace  band,  a  piece  of  thin  gold 
twist  or  cord,  a  pair  of  leather  goggles  with  crape  instead  of  glass;  a 
small  green  crape  veil. 

Two  small  packets  of  blank  cartridge  in  green  paper,  part  of  a  cherrj- 
itick  pipe  stem,  piece  of  a  port-fire,  a  few  copper  nails,  a  leather  bootlace, 
a  seaman's  clasp-knife,  two  amall  glaaa  atoppered  bottles  (full),  three 
glasses  of  spectacles,  part  of  a  broken  pair  of  silver  spectacles,  German 
tilver  pencil  ease,  a  pair  ef  silver  (?)  fereeps,  sneh  as  a  naturalist  mlgkl 


f  '! 


1^1 
..•1*1 


r  i 


ii-|| 


280 


APPENDIX. 


No.  Ill 


use  for  holding  or  eeizing  small  insocts,  etc. ;  a  small  pair  of  8Ri88ors 
rolled  up  in  blank  paper,  and  to  which  adheres  a  printed  government  paper, 
such  ns  an  officer's  warrant  or  appointment ;  a  spring  hook  of  a  swurd 
belt,  a  brass  charger  for  holding  two  charges  of  shot. 

A  small  bead  purse,  piece  of  red  sealing-wax,  stopper  of  a  pocket  flnsk, 
German  silver  top  and  ring,  brass  matchbox,  one  of  the  glasses  of  a  tclc- 
icope,  a  small  tin  cylinder,  probably  made  to  bold  lucifer  matches ;  a  linen 
ht.g  of  percussion  caps  of  three  sizes,  a  very  large  and  old-fashioned  kind, 
•tamped  "  Smith's  patent;"  a  cap  with  a  flange  similar  to  the  present 
musket  caps  used  by  Qovernment,  but  smaller ;  and  ordinary  sporting 
caps  of  the  smallest  size. 

Five  watches. 

A  pair  of  blue  glass  spectacles,  or  goggles,  with  atoel  frame,  and  wire 
gauze  encircling  the  glasses,  in  a  tin  case. 

A  pemmiean  tin,  painted  lead  color,  and  marked  "E."  (Erebus)  in 
black.    From  its  size  it  must  have  contained  201b.  or  221b. 

Two  yellow  glass  beads,  a  gloss  seal  with  symbol  of  Freemasonry. 

A  4-inch  block,  strapped,  with  copper  hook  and  thimble,  probably  for 
the  boat's  sheet. 


Relics  seen  in  l^t.  69°  09'   N.,  long.  99°  24'  W.,  not 
brought  away,  30th  of  May,  1859  :— 

A  large  boat  measuring  28  ft.  in  extreme  length,  7  ft.  3  in.  in  breadth, 
2  ft.  4  in.  in  depth.  The  markings  on  her  stem  were — "  XXI.  VV.  Con. 
N61.,  APr.  184."  It  appears  that  the  fore  part  of  the  stem  has  been  cut 
away,  probably  to  reduce  weight,  and  part  of  the  letters  and  figures  re- 
moved. An  oak  sledge  under  the  boat,  23  ft.  4  in.  long,  and  2  ft.  wide ;  6 
paddles,  about  60  fathoms  of  deep-sea  lead  line,  ammunition,  4  cakes  of 
navy  chocolate,  shoemaker's  box  with  implements  complete,  small  quan- 
tities of  tobacco,  a  small  pair  of  very  stout  shooting  boots,  a  pair  of  very 
heavy  iron-shod  knee  boots,  carpet  boots,  sea  boots  and  shoes — in  all  seven 
or  eight  pairs ;  two  rolls  of  sheet  lead,  elm  tingles  for  repairing  the  boat, 
nails  of  various  sizes  for  boat,  and  sledge  irons,  three  small  axes,  a  broken 
saw,  leather  cover  of  a  sextant  case,  a  chain-cable  punch,  silk  handker- 
ehiofs  (black,  white,  and  colored),  towels,  sponge,  tooth-brush,  hair  comb, 
a  mackintosh  gun  cover  (marked  in  paint  "A.  12"),  twine,  files,  knives; 
a  small  worsted-work  slipper,  lined  with  calf-skin,  bound  with  red  riband ; 
a  great  quantity  of  ^^lothing,  and  a  wolf-skin  robe ;  part  of  a  boat's  snil 
of  No.  8  canvas,  whnle-Iine  rope  with  yellow  mark,  and  white  line  with 
red  mark;  24  iron  stanchions,  9  1-2  inches  high,  for  supporting  a  weather 
•loth  round  the  boat;  a  stanchion  for  supportirg  a  ridge  pole  at  a  height 
•f  S  ft.  9  in.  above  the  gunwale. 


No.  in. 


APPENDIX. 


281 


Relics  found  about  Ross  Cairn,  on  Point  Victory,  May  and 
June,  1869,  brought  away  : — 

A  6-inch  dip  circle  by  Robinson,  marked  I  22.  A  case  of  medicines, 
cansisting  of  25  small  bottles,  canister  of  pills,  ointment,  plaster,  oiled 
■ilk,  etc.  A  2-foot  rule,  two  joints  of  the  cleaning  rod  of  a  gun,  and  two 
■mall  copper  spindles,  probably  for  dog-vanes  of  boats.  The  circular 
brass  plate  broken  out  of  a  wooden  gun-case,  and  engraved  "  C.  II.  Osmer, 
R.  N."  The  field  glass  and  German  silver  top  of  a  2-foot  telescope,  a 
cofiee  canister,  a  piece  of  a  brass  curtain  rod.  The  record  tin  and  the 
record,  dated  25th  of  April,  1848.  A  6-inch  double  frame  sextant,  on 
which  the  owner's  name  ia  engraved,  "  Frederick  Hornby,  R.  N." 

Found  in  a  small  cairn  on  the  south  side  of  Back  Bay : — 

A  tin  record  ease  and  record. 

Seen    about    Ross    Cairn,   Point    Victory,   not    brought 
away : — 

Four  sets  of  boat's  cooking  apparatus  complete,  iron  hoops,  4  feet  of  a 
copper  lightning  conductor,  hollow  brass  curtain-rod  three  quarters  of  an 
inch  in  diameter,  3  pickaxes,  1  shovel,  old  canvas,  a  pile  of  warm  clothing 
and  blankets  4  feet  high,  2  tin  canteens  stnmpdd  "  89  Co.,  Wm.  Iledges," 
"88  Co.,  Wm.  Heather,"  and  a  third  one  not  marked.  A  small  pnnnikiu, 
made  on  board  out  of  a  21b.  preserved-meat  tin,  marked  "  W.  Mark  ;"  a 
■mall  deal  box  for  gun  wadding,  the  heavy  iron  work  of  a  large  boat, 
part  of  a  canvas  tent,  part  of  an  oar  sawed  longitudinally  and  a  blanket 
nailed  to  its  flat  side,  three  boat-hook  staves,  strips  of  copper,  a  9*inch 
■ingle  block  strapped,  a  piece  of  rope  and  spunyarn.  Among  the  cloth- 
ing was  found  a  stocking  marked  "  W."  green,  and  a  fragment  of  one 
marked  "W.S." 

Relics  obtained  at  the  Northern  Cairn,  near  Cape  Felix, 
May,  1859: 

Fragments  of  a  boat's  ensign,  metal  lid  of  a  powder-case,  two  eyn 
pieces  of  sextant  tubes,  brass  button ;  worsted  glove,  colors  red,  white 
and  blue ;  bung-stave  of  a  marine's  water  keg  or  bottle,  braes  ornaments 
to  a  marine's  shako ;  brass  screw  for  screwing  down  lid,  also  a  copper 
hinge  of  the  lid  of  powder-case ;  a  few  patent  wire  cartridges  containing 
Urge  shot ;  part  of  a  pair  of  steel  spectacles,  glass  being  replaced  by  wood, 
having  a  narrow  slit  in  it :  two  small  rib  bones,  probably  out  of  salt  pork  ; 
■ix  or  eight  packets  of  needles;  small  flannel  cartridge  containing  an 
ounre  of  damaged  powder;  a  small,  roughly  mode  copper  apparatus  for 


1  ■■'ii-'i- 


iv'l'- 


-  :m 


'•i? 


m 


m 


282 


APPENDIX. 


No.  IIL 


cooking ;  aome  brimstone  matches ;  piece  of  white  paper  folded  up  found 
in  the  North  Cairn,  two  pilce-heads,  narrow  strip  of  white  paper,  found 
under  one  of  the  tent  places :  their  tent  places  were  within  a  few  yards  of 
the  cairn. 

Beside  a  small  cairn,  about  three  miles  north  of  Point  Victory,  was 
a  pickaxe,  with  broken  handle ;  brought  away  an  empty  tea  or  coffee 
canister. 

Articles  noticed  about  the  North  Cairn,  not  brought  away : 

Fragments  of  two  broken  bottles,  several  pieces  of  broken  basins  at 
cups,  blue  and  white  delfware,  hoops  of  marine's  water  keg,  small  iron 
hoops,  fragments  of  white  line,  spun  yarn,  canvas,  and  twine;  three 
smuU  canvas  tents,  under  which  lay  a  bearskin  and  fragments  of 
blankets ;  two  blanket  frocks,  several  old  mitts,  stockings,  glovop,  pilot 
cloth,  and  box  cloth  jackets  and  trousers,  large  shot,  piece  of  tobacco 
and  broken  pipe,  metal  part  of  powder-case,  top  of  tin  canister,  marked 
'*  cheese,"  preserved-potato  tin,  feathers  of  ptarmigan,  and  salt  meat 
bones. 

Seen  near  Cape  Maria  Louisa : 

Part  of  a  drift  tree,  white  spruce  fir,  18  feet  long,  10  inches  in  diame* 
ter;  it  appeared  to  have  but  recently  (i.  e.  since  thrown  on  the  coast) 
been  sawed  longitudinally  down  the  centre,  and  one-half  of  it  removed. 

Relics  obtained  from  the  Boothian  Esquimaux,  near  the 
Magnetic  Pole,  in  March  and  April,  1859. 

Seven  knives  made  by  the  natives  out  of  materials  obtained  fVom  the 
last  expedition,  one  knife  without  a  handle,  one  spear-head  and  staff  (the 
latter  has  broken  off),  two  files,  a  large  spoon  or  scoop,  the  handle  of  pine 
or  bone,  the  bowl  of  musk-ox  horn ;  six  silver  spoons  and  forks,  the  pro* 
perty  of  Sir  John  Franklin,  Lieutenants  H.  D.  Vescomte  and  Fairholine, 
A.  M'Donald,  Assistant-Surgeon,  and  Lieutenant  E.  Couch  (supposed 
from  the  initial  letter  T  and  crest  a  lion's  head) ;  a  small  portion  of  a  gold 
watch-chain,  a  broken  piece  of  ornamental  work  apparently  silver  gilt,  a 
few  small  naval  and  other  metal  buttons,  a  silver  medal  obtained  by  Mr. 
M'Donald  as  a  prize  for  superior  attainments  at  a  medical  exnmination  in 
Edinburg,  April,  1838  ;  some  bows  and  arrowv,  in  which  wood,  iron,  or 
copper  has  been  used  ia  the  construction— of  no  other  interest. 

REMARKS  UPON  THESE  ARTICLES. 

The  spear-staff  measures  6  feet  3  inches  in  length,  and  appears  to  hsrs 
been  part  of  •  light  boat's  gunwale ;  it  measured  (before  being  partially 


Ko.  III. 


APPENDIX. 


283 


rounded  to  adnpt  it  to  it?  present  use,)  about  li  by  1|  inches,  is  mad« 
of  English  oak,  and  upon  the  side  has  been  painted  white  over  green. 
The  sponr-head  is  of  steel,  riveted  to  two  pieces  of  hoop,  with  bone  be- 
tween, and  lashed  on  to  the  staff.  The  rivets  are  of  copper  nxils.  The 
Dative  who  sold  it  said  he  himself  got  it  from  the  boat  in  Fish  River. 
Another  spear  of  the  same  kind  was  seen.  The  knives  ore  made  either 
of  iron  or  steel,  riveted  to  two  strips  of  hoop,  between  which  the  handle 
of  wood  is  inserted,  and  rivets  passed  through,  securing  tbeoi  together. 

The  rivets  are  almost  all  made  out  of  copper  nails,  such  as  would  be 
found  in  a  copper-fastened  boat,  but  those  which  hp^e  been  examined  do 
not  bear  the  Qovernmont  mark.  It  is  probable  that  most  of  the  boats  of 
the  '  Erebus'  and  '  Terror'  were  built  by  contract,  and  therefore  would 
not  have  the  broad  arrow  stamped  upon  their  iron  and  copper  work.  One 
•mall  knife  appears  to  have  been  a  surgical  instrument.  A  large  knife 
obtained  in  April  bears  some  marking,  such  as  a  sword  or  a  cutlass  might 
have.  The  man  who  sold  it  said  he  bought  it  from  another,  who  picked 
it  up  oil  the  land  where  the  ship  was  driven  ashore  by  the  ice,  and  where 
the  white  people  had  thrown  it  away;  it  was  then  about  as  long  as  his 
arm.  This  was  the  first  information  he  received  of  one  of  the  ships 
having  drifted  on  shore.  Oue  knife  and  one  file  are  stamped  with  the 
broad  arrow.  The  handles  are  variously  composed  of  oak,  ash,  pine, 
mahogany,  elm,  and  bone.  The  spoons  and  forks  were  readily  sold  for  a 
few  needles  each,  also  the  button?,  which  they  wore  as  ornaments  on  their 
dresses.  Bows  and  arrows  were  read,  y  exchanged  for  knives.  Pre- 
viously to  the  stranding  on  the  neighboring  shore  of  the  last  expedition 
these  people  must  have  been  almost  destitute  of  wood  or  iron.  Some  of 
them  had  even  got  only  bone  knives  and  spear-points.  Some  of  their 
sledges  were  seen,  consisting  of  two  rolls  of  seal-skin,  flattened  and 
frozen,  to  serve  as  runners,  and  connected  together  by  cross-bars  of  bones. 
Many  more  knives,  bows  and  buttons,  similar  to  those  brought  away 
might  have  been  obtained,  but  no  personal  or  important  relics. 

Seen  in  a  Snow  Hut  in  lat.  10^  deg.  N.,  20th  of  April, 
1859,  not  brought  away  : 

Two  wooden  shovels,  one  of  them  made  of  mahogany  board,  some 
fpcar-handles  and  a  bow  of  English  wood,  a  deal  ca^e  which  might  have 
served  for  a  telescope  or  barometer.  Its  external  dimensions  were  :— 
length,  3  ft.  1  in. ;  depth,  3i  in. ;  width,  9  in. ;  two  brass  bingei  r«. 
mained  attached  to  it. 


Ill 


i: 


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n''  ■ 


0 


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m 


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t.M 

m 


284 


APPENDIX. 


No.  IIL 


Relics  obtained  from  the  Esquimaux  near  Cape  Norton, 
upon  the  East  Coast  of  King  William  Island,  iu  May, 
1859: 

Two  tablespoons  ;  upon  one  is  scratched  "  W.  W.,"  on  the  other  "W. 
Q. '"  these  bear  the  Franklin  creet ;  two  table  forks,  one  bearing  the 
Franklin  cre^t ;  the  other  is  also  crested,  probably  Captain  Crozier's ; 
silversmith's  name  is  "I.  West;"  two  teaspoons,  one  engraved  "A.  M. 
D."  (A.  M'Donald),  the  other  bears  the  Fairholme  crest  and  motto ;  han- 
dle of  a  dessert  knife,  into  which  had  been  inserted  a  razor  (since 
broken  off)  by  Milliken,  Strand;  buttons,  wood  and  iron,  were  here  in 
abundance,  but  as  enough  of  these  had  already  been  obtained,  no  more 
were  purchased.  •  - 

Taken  out  of  some  deserted  snow-huts  noor  here,  some  scraps  of  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  wood,  such  as  could  not  be  obtained  from  a  boat — teak  or 
African  oak. 

Found  lying  about  the  skeleton,  9  miles  eastward  of  Cape  Herscbel, 
May,  1859  :-i-The  tie  of  black  silk  neckerchief;  fragments  of  a  duuble- 
breasted  blue  cloth  waistcoat,  with  covered  silk  buttons,  and  edged  with 
braid ;  a  scrap  of  a  colored  cotton  shirt,  silk-covered  buttons  of  blue  cloth 
great-coat;  a  small  clothes-brush;  a  horn  pocket-comb;  a  leathern 
pocket'buok,  which  fell  to  pieces  when  thawed  and  dried ;  it  contained  9 
or  10  letters,  a  few  leaves  apparently  blank ;  a  sixpence,  dated  1831 ;  and 
a  half-sovereign,  dated  1S44. 

Articles  seen  among  the  natives  at  Cape  Norton,  not  purchased  :  Bows 
made  of  wood,  knives,  uniform  and  plain  buttons,  a  sledge  made  of  two 
long  pieces  of  hard  wood. 

From  beside  an  Esquimaux  stone  mark,  on  the  east  side  of  Montreal 
Island : — Part  of  a  preserved-meat  tin,  painted  red ;  part  of  the  rim  of 
some  strong  copper  case  or  vessel ;  pieces  of  iron  hoop,  two  pieces  of  flat 
iron,  and  iron  hook  bolt,  a  piece  of  sheet  copper. 

Articles  seen  about  a  snow-hut  near  Point  Booth,  not  purchased: 
Eight  or  ten  fir  poles,  varying  from  5  feet  to  10  feet  in  length,  the 
stoutest  being  2}  inches  in  diameter.  Two  wooden  snow  shovels,  about 
3^  feet  long,  and  made  of  pieces  of  plank  painted  white  or  pale  yellow; 
it  occurred  to  me  that  the  pieces  of  plank  might  have  been  the  bottom 
boards  of  a  boat.  There  was  abundance  of  wood  fashioned  into  smaller 
articles. 

Contents  of  Boat's  Medicine  Chest. 

One  bottle  labeled  as  zinzib.  R.  pulv.,  full;  ditto,  spirit,  rect.,  empty; 
ditto,  mur.  hydrarg.,  seven-eighths  full ;  ditt<»,  ol.  caryphyll.,  one-fifth 
tull ;  ditto,  ipec.  P.  co.,  full ;  ditto,  ol.  menth.  pip.,  empty ;  ditto,  liq.  am* 


No.  IIL 


APPENDIX. 


285 


moD.  fort,  three-qoarters  fall ;  ditto,  ol.  olivao.,  fal.  ;  ditto,  tinot.  opii. 
eampb.,  tbree-qnarters  full ;  ditto,  vin.  sem.  ooleh.,  lull ;  ditto,  quarter 
full ;  ditto,  calomel,  full  (broken);  ditto,  bydrarg.  bit.  oxyd.,  full ;  ditto, 
pul7.  gregor,  full  (broken) ;  ditto,  magnes.  earb.,  full ;  ditto,  campbor, 
full;  two  bottles  tine,  tolut,  each  quarter  full;  one  bottle  ipeo.  H.  pair., 
full ;  ditto,  jalap  R.  pulv.,  full ;  ditto,  i cammon.  pulv.,  full ;  ditto,  quinao 
bisulpb.,  empty ;  ditto  (not  labeled),  tinct.  opii.,  tbree  quarters  full ;  one 
box  (apparently)  purgative  pills,  full;  ditto,  ointment,  sbrunk;  ditto, 
emp.  adbesiv.,  full ;  one  probang,  one  pen  wrapped  up  in  lint,  one  lead 
pencil,  one  pewter  syringe,  two  small  tubes  (teat)  wrapped  up  in  lint,  <i&a 
ISuthing,  bandages  oil  silk,  lint,  tbread. 


,  f  !■ 


1 


'•'J' 


886 


APPENDIX. 


No.  IV. 


No.  IV. 
OKOLOGICAL  ACCOUNT  OP  THE  ARCTIC  ARCHIPELAGO. 

DBAtVir  VV  PRIirOIPALLT  FROM  TBI  SPECI1IBV8  COLLECTED  BT 

Captaiit  F.  L.  M'Clintock,  R.  N. 
From  1849  to  ]8!)9. 

BT  TnE  REV.  SAMUEL  HAUGHTON,  F.  R.  8., 

F«Uow  of  Trinity  College,  Professor  of  Oeo\ogj  in  the  UniTeraity  of  Dablin,  aMi 
President  of  ttie  Geological  Society  of  Dublin. 

The  map  which  accompanies  this  geological  description 
is  arranged  from  the  specimens  brought  home  bj  Captain 
F.  L.  M'Clintock,  R.  N.,  from  the  four  Arctic  Expeditions 
in  which  he  served  from  1848  to  1859.  These  specimens 
are  all  deposited  in  the  Museum  of  the  Royal  Dublin  So- 
ciety, and  form  a  more  extensive  and  better  collection  of 
Arctic  rocks  and  fossils  than  is  to  be  found  in  any  other 
museum  in  Europe. 

It  will  be  most  convenient  to  describe  the  geology  of  the 
Arctic  Islands  by  the  formations  which  are  to  be  found 
there,  which  ^re  the  following : — 

1.  The  Granitic  and  Granitoid  Rocks. 

2.  The  Upper  Silurian  Rocks. 

3.  The  Carboniferous  Rocks. 

4.  The  Lias  Rocks. 

5.  The  Superficial  deposits. 

I  shall  describe  these  successive  formations  briefly,  and 
add  a  few  remarks  of  a  theoretical  character,  to  indicate 
the  important  inferences  which  may  be  drawn  from  the  facti 
respecting  them  made  known  to  us  by  M'Cllntock's  di^ 
coTcries. 


Fl  TV  APPENDIX. 


I. —  The  Oranitic  and  Granitoid  Bocks. 


28T 


|! 


These  rocks  form  a  considerable  part  of  North  Green- 
land, on  the  east  side  of  Baffin's  Bay,  and  constitute  the 
rock  of  the  country  at  the  east  side  of  the  island  of  North 
I)oT7on,  which  forms  a  portion  of  the  coast-line  of  the  west 
of  Baffin's  Bay,  and  the  north  side  of  the  entrance  into 
Lancaster  Sound. 

1.  Whale  Fish  Islands,  lat.  69°  N.,  are  composed  of  a 
very  fine-grained,  flaggy,  black  mica  schist,  composed  of 
black  mica  in  very  small  plates,  occasionally  pntting  on  a 
bornblendic  lustre,  and  minute  grains  of  quartz  interstrati- 
fied  with  the  mica.  The  softer  varieties  are  cut  by  the  na 
tives  into  grissets  and  cooking  utensils  of  various  shapes, 
some  of  which  resemble  the  cambstones  found  in  Ireland, 
which  are  made  from  a  kind  of  potstone,  abundant  in  parts 
of  the  County  Donegal. 

2.  Upernaviky  lat.  72°  N.,  Greenland. — This  district  is 
famous  for  the  occurrence  of  large  quantities  of  plumbago, 
which  is  found  in  a  metamorphic  rock  of  the  following  char- 
acter. Fine-grained,  amorphous,  granitoid  rock,  composed 
of  minute  particles  of  grey  quartz ;  ajioney-colored  felspar 
of  waxy  lustre,  of  unknown  composition :  minute  particles 
of  red  semitransparent  garnet,  of  conchoidal  fracture ;  and 
small  particles,  with  occasional  large  nests,  of  plumbago. 
The  plumbago  occurs  both  amorphous,  and  in  long  acicular 
crystals.  Sometimes  the  rock  becomes  of  coarser  texture 
and  more  crystalline,  and  the  yellow  color  of  the  felspar 
gives  place  to  a  greenish  tinge ;  and  it  sometimes  also  be- 
comes a  felspar  of  perfect  cleavage,  semitransparent,  and 
while.  The  dodecahedral  crystals  of  garnet  reach  the  di- 
ameter of  one  inch.  i. 

The  general  character  of  the  rocks  near  TJperuavik  is 
difft^rent  from  that  of  the  rock  in  which  the  plumbago  is 
fbund ;  they  consist  of  a  fine-grained  black  mica  schist,  with 


m 


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^ ' '  i 

it  '■••-! 

m 

'■  '■;*■  I 


"   0 


288 


APPENDIX. 


No.  IV. 


very  little  felspar  or  quartz,  and  intersected  by  thin  veins  of 
elvan  composed  of  quartz  and  white  felspar.  The  cooking 
utensils  of  the  natives  are  made  from  this  fine  schist,  in  pre- 
ference to  any  other  description  of  rock. 

3.  Woman^a  Islands. — These  islands,  ofif  the  west  coast 
of  Greenland,  are  composed  of  a  garnetiferous  mica  slate, 
formed  of  black  mica  in  layers,  with  alternating  plates  com- 
posed of  white  felspar  and  quartz,  and  filled  with  fine  gar- 
nets, rose-colored,  vitreous  in  fracture,  and  transparent. 

4.  Cape  Yorkf  lat.  T6**  N.,  Greenland. — This  cape  is 
composed  of  a  fine-grained  granite,  consisting  of  quartz, 
white  felspar,  with  minute  specks  of  a  black  mineral,  of 
pitchy  lustre,  composition  not  yet  determined. 

6.  Wolstenholme  and  Whale  HoundSf  lat.  71®  N., 
Greenland. — At  Wolstenholme  Sound  the  granitoid  rocks 
of  Greenland  become  converted  into  mica  slate  and  actino- 
lite  slate  of  a  remarkable  character.  The  mica  slate  is  com- 
posed of  large  plates  of  an  intimate  mixture  of  black  and 
white  mica,  the  chemical  examination  of  which  will  doubt- 
less prove  of  interest.  These  plates  of  mica  are  separated 
by  bands  of  pure  white  felspar.  The  actinolite  slate  is 
dark  green,  and  formed  by  an  almost  insensible  gradation 
from  the  mica  slate.  In  the  low  ground  between  Wolsten 
holme  and  Whale  Sounds,  the  granitic  rocks  cease,  and  are 
covered  by  deposits  of  fine  red  gritty  sandstone,  of  a  banded 
structure,  and  a  remarkable  coarse  white  conglomerate. 
The  boundary  between  these  formations  is  also  marked  by 
the  development  of  masses  of  dolerite  and  clayey  basalt. 

6.  Carey's  Islands,  16°  40'  N.,  Greenland,  lie  to  the 
westward  of  Wolstenholme  Sound,  and  are  composed  of  a 
remarkable  gneissose  mica  schist,  formed  of  successive  thin 
layers  of  quartz  granules,  containing  scarcely  any  felspar, 
and  layers  of  jet  black  mica,  with  occasional  facets  of  white 
mica.  This  mica  schist  passes  into  a  white  gneiss,  com- 
poMd  of  quartz,  white  felspar,  and  black  mica  penetrated 


No.  IV. 


APPENDIX. 


289 


by  veins,  coarsely  cryslalised,  of  the  same  minerals.  Yellow 
and  white  sandstones  are  also  found  in  small  quantity  on  the 
islands,  reposing  upon  the  granitoid  rocks. 

1.  Capes  Osborn  and  Warrender,  lat.  14°  30'  N., 
North  Devon. — The  granitoid  rocks  between  these  two 
capes  are  composed  of  gra))hic  granite,  consisting  of  quartz 
(grey)  and  white  felspar ;  this  graphic  granite  passes  into  a 
laminated  gneiss,  consisting  of  layers  of  black  raica  and 
white  translucent  felspar,  sparingly  mixed  with  quartz: 
with  the  gneiss  are  interstratiGed  beds  of  garnetiferous 
mica  slate,  consisting  of  quartz,  pale  greenish  white  felspar, 
black  and  white  mica  in  minute  spangles,  and  crystals  of 
garnet,  rose-colored,  disseminated  regularly  through  the 
mass.  Quartziferous  bands  of  epidotic  hornstone  occur 
with  the  foregoing  beds;  and  the  whole  series  is  overlaid 
by  red  sandstones,  of  banded  structure,  which  bear  a  striking 
resemblance  to  those  that  overlie  the  granitoid  beds  of  Wol- 
stenholme  Sound.  v 

8.  North  Somerset. — The  granitoid  rocks  are  found 
again  on  the  west  side  of  the  island  of  North  Somerset, 
where  they  form  the  eastern-  boundary  of  Peel  Sound. 
Boulders  of  granite  are  found  at  a  considerable  distance 
(100  miles)  to  the  north-eastward  of  the  rock  in  situ,  as  at 
Port  Leopold,  Cape  Rennell,  etc.  The  general  character 
of  the  granitic  rocks  in  the  north  and  west  of  North  Som- 
erset  are  thus  described  by  Captain  M'Clintock : — 

Near  Cape  Rennell  we  passed  a  very  remarkable  rounded 
boulder  of  gneiss  or  granite ;  it  was  6  yards  in  circumfer- 
ence, and  stood  near  the  beach,  and  some  15  or  20  yards 
above  it ;  one  or  two  masses  of  rounded  gneiss,  although 
very  much  smaller,  had  arrested  our  attention  at  Port  Leo- 
pold, as  then  we  knew  of  no  such  formation  nearer  than 
Cape  Warrender,  130  miles  to  the  north-east;  subsequently 
we  found  it  to  commence  in  situ  at  Cape  Granite,  nearly 
100  miles  to  the  southwest  of  Port  Leopold. 
19 


'  ,i]\ 


I 


'  'I 


h.i 


' ;  I'll 

m 


m 


290 


APPENDIX. 


No.  IV. 


K^JV 


^^tf^ 


s 


'M 


U  ■:)' 


"The  granite  of  Cape  Warrender 
differs  considerably  from  that  of  North 
Somerset ;  the  former  being  a  graphic 
granite,  composed  of  grey  qnartz  and 
white  felspar,  the  quartz  predominat- 
ing ;  while  the  latter,  or  North  Somer- 
set granite,  is  composed  of  grey  quartz 
red  felspar,  and  green  chloritic  mica, 
the  latter  in  large  flakes;  both  tlie 
granite  and  gneiss  of  North  Somerset 
are  remarkable  for  their  soapy  feel."* 

To  the  east  of  Cape  Bunny,  where 
the  Silurian  limestone  ceases,  and  south 
of  which  the  granite  commences,  is  a 
^  remarkable  valley  called  Transition  Val- 
I  ley,  from  the  junction  of  sandstone  find 
1  limestone  that  takes  place  there.  The 
^  sandstone  is  red,  and  of  the  same  gene- 
g  ral  character  as  that  which  rests  upon 
*!  the  granitoid  rocks  at  Cape  Warrender 
and  at  Wolstenholme  Sound.  Owing 
to  the  mode  of  travelling,  by  sledge,  on 
vhe  ice,  round  the  coast,  no  information 
was  obtained  of  the  geology  of  the  in- 
terior of  the  country,  but  it  appears 
highly  probable  that  the  granite  of 
North  Somerset,  as  well  as  that  of  the 
other  localities  mentioned,  is  overlaid 
by  a  group  of  sandstones  and  conglo- 
merates, on  which  the  Upper  Silurian 
limestones  repose  directly.  A  low, 
sandy  beach  marks  the  termination  of 
the  valley  northwards,  and  on  this  beach 
were  found  numerous  pebbles,  washed 
from  the  hills  of  the  interior,  composed 


*  Journal  of  the  Royal  Dublin  Society,  1867. 


No.  IV. 


APPENDIX. 


291 


h'l 


of  qiiartzose  sandstone,  carnelian,  and  Silurian  limestone. 
The  accompanying  sketch  was  made  by  Captain  M'Clintock, 
on  the  spot,  in  1849,  and  afterwards  finished  by  Lieutenant 
Browne.  It  represents  the  island  called  Cape  Bunny,  which 
forms  the  eastern  headland  of  the  entrance  of  the  now  fa- 
mous Peel  Sound,  down  which  the  'Erebus'  and  'Terror' 
sailed,  three  years  before  it  was  visited  by  Sir  James  C. 
Ross  and  Lieutenant  M'Clintock,  in  their  first  sledge  jour- 
ney on  the  ice.  Cape  Granite  is  the  northern  boundary  of 
the  granite,  which  retains  the  same  character  as  far  as  Howe 
Harbor.  It  is  composed  of  quartz,  red  felspar,  and  dark 
green  chlorite ;  and  is  accompanied  with  gneiss  of  the  same 
composition.  I  have  in  my  possession  a  specimen  of  this 
granite,  found  as  a  pebble  at  Graham  Moore  Bay,  Bathurst 
Island,  S.  W.,  a  locality  135  knots  distant  from  Cape 
Granite,  to  the  N.  W. 

9.  BelloVs  Straits  J  lat.  72°  N.,  separate  North  Somerset 
from  Boothia  Felix.  The  '  Fox'  Expedition  wintered  here 
in  1858,  and  had  abundant  means  of  ascertaining  the  geo- 
logical structure  of  the  neighborhood.  The  junction  of  the 
granitoid  and  Silurian  rocks  occurs  in  these  straits,  the  low 
ground  to  the  east  being  horizontal  beds  of  Silurian  lime- 
stone, while  on  the  west  the  granite  hills  of  West  Somerset 
rise  to  a  height  of  1600  feet  above  the  narrow  straits.  The 
granite  here  is  of  three  varieties. 

a.  Blackish  grey,  fine  grained,  gneissose  granite,  com- 
posed of  quartz,  white  felspar,  and  large  quantities  of  fine 
grains  and  flakes  of  hornblende,  passing  into  black  mica. 
The  gneissose  beds  of  this  granite  dip  13°  S.  E. 

J3.  A  red  granite,  graphic  texture,  composed  of  quarti 
and  red  felspar,  coarse  grained. 

h.  Syenite,  composed  of  honey-yellow  felspar  and  horn- 
blende, in  very  large  crystals,  the  felspar  passing  into  red 
and  pink,^  and  the  whole  rock  mass  penetrated  by  veins  of 
the  same  material,  but  fine  grained.     This  variety  of  igno 


'  i  ■."' 


r  "■ 


',i>- 


r 


.\.^t 


'■'.>''. 


i':'!'l 


.I'.i 
•Mm 


202 


APPENDIX. 


No.  IV. 


ous  rock  was  met  with  principally  at  PcmmicaL  Hock,  west- 
ern inlet  of  Bcllot's  Straits.  Large  quantities  of  hornblende 
arc  also  met  with  at  Lcveque  Harbor,  Bellot's  Straits,  com- 
posed of  facetted  crystals  agglutinated  together  into  large 
masses,  forming  a  crystalline  hornblendic  gneiss. 

10.  Pond's  Bay,  Bnffin'ft  Bay,  lat.  72°  40'  N.— In  thin 
locality  a  qnartziferous  black  mica  schist  underlies  the  Si- 
lurian limestone,  and  is  interstratified  with  gneiss  and  gar- 
netifcrous  quartz  rock,  all  in  beds,  inclined  38°  W.  S.  W. 
(true). 

11.  Montreal  Island,  mouth  of  the  Fish  River,  lat.  67® 
45'  N. — The  granitoid  rocks,  which  everywhere,  in  the 
Arctic  Archipelago,  underlie  the  Silurian  limestone,  appear 
at  Montreal  Island  as  a  gneiss,  composed  of  bands  of  fel- 
spar (pink)  and  quartz  (^  inch  thick),  separated  by  thin 
plates  composed  altogether  of  black  mica ;  the  whole  rock 
exhibiting  the  phenomena  of  foliation  in  a  marked  degree. 

The  east  side  of  King  William's  Island,  though  composed 
of  Silurian  limestone  like  the  rest  of  the  island,  is  strewed 
with  boulders  of  black  and  red  micaceous  gneiss,  like  that 
of  Montreal  Island,  and  black  metamorphic  clay  slate,  in 
which  the  crystals  of  mica  (qu.  Ottrelite)  are  just  commen- 
cing to  be  developed.  It  is  probable  that  the  granitoid 
rocks  appear  at  the  surface  somewhat  to  the  eastward  of 
this  locality. 

12.  Prince  of  Wales^  Island,  west  of  Peel  Sound. — The 
granitoid  rocks  extend  across  Peel  Sound  into  Prince  of 
Wales'  Island,  in  the  form  of  a  dark  syenite  composed  ol 
quartz,  greenish  white  felspar  passing  into  yellow,  and 
hornblende.  This  rock  is  massive  and  eruptive  ut  Cape 
M'Clure,  lat.  72°  52'  N.,  and  occasionally  gneissose,  as  at 
lot.  72°  13'  N.  Between  these  two  points,  at  lat  72°  37' 
N  ,  a  limestone  bluff  occurs  containing  the  characteristic 
Silurian  fossils,  and  is  succeeded  at  72°  40'  by  a  ferruginous 
limestohe,  bright  red,  and  a  few  beds  of  fine  red  sandstone, 


N©.IV. 


APPENDIX. 


296 


like  those  observed  by  M'Clintock  at  Transition  Valley, 
North  Somerset.  Tiio  entire  western  portion  of  Prince  of 
Wales'  Land  is  composed  of  Silurian  limestone,  which  in 
the  extreme  west,  at  Cupe  Acworth,  becomes  chalky  in  char- 
acter, and  non-fossilifcrouR,  resembling  the  peculiar  Silu- 
rian limestone  found  on  the  West  side  of  Boothia  Felix. 

II. —  The  Silurian  Rocks. 


i'"f 


The  Silurian  rocks  of  the  Arctic  Ai'chipelago  rest  every- 
Inhere  directly  on  the  granitoid  rocks,  with  a  remarkable 
red  sandstone,  passing  into  coarse  grit  for  their  base.  This 
sandstone  is  succeeded  by  ferruginous  limestone,  containing 
rounded  particles  of  quartz,  which  rapidly  pass  into  a 
fine  greyish  green  earthy  limestone,  abounding  in  fossils, 
and  occasionally  into  a  chalky  limestone,  of  a  cream  color, 
for  the  most  part  devoid  of  fossils.  The  average  dip  of 
the  Silurian  limestone  varies  from  0°  to  5°  N.  N.  W.,  and 
it  forms  occasionally  high  cliffs,  and  occasionally  low  flat 
plains,  terraced  by  the  action  of  the  ice  as  the  ground 
rose  from  beneath  the  sea.  The  general  appearance  of  the 
rocks  is  similar  to  the  Dudley  limestone,  and  would  strike 
even  an  observer  who  was  not  a  geologist.  This  resem- 
blance to  the  Upper  Silurian  beds  extends  to  the  structure 
of  the  rocks  on  the  large  scale.  Alternations  of  hard  lime- 
stone and  soft  shale,  so  characteristic  of  the  Upper  Silurian 
beds  of  England  and  America,  arranged  in  horizontal  lay- 
ers, give  to  the  cliffs  around  Port  Leopold  the  peculiar  ap- 
pearance which  has  been  described  by  different  Polar  navi- 
gators as  "  buttress-like,"  "  castellated  ;"  this  appearance 
is  produced  by  the  unequal  weathering  of  the  cliff,  which 
causes  the  hard  limestone  to  stand  out  in  bands.  Excellent 
sketches  of  this  remarkable  appearance,  drawn  by  Lieutenant 
Beechey,  are  figured  at  page  35  of  Parry's  First  Voyage, 
*  Hecla*  and  *  Griper,'  1819-20.    The  Western  side  of  King 


I 


294 


APPENDIX. 


No.  IV 


William's  Island  (now,  alas  1  invested  with  so  sad  an  inte- 
rest) is  a  good  example  of  the  low  terraced  form  which  the 
limestone  rocks  assume  at  times.  ^     . 

Tile  following  list  contains  the  names  of  the  principal 
fossils  brought  home  by  Captain  M'Clintock  : —     > 

No.  I.  QARNIER  BAY  (Lat  Tl*  N.;  Long.  91°  W.) 

1.  Cifathophtfllum  heliauthoide;  several  specimens. 

2.  Hcliolite*  poro$a.     Gamier  Bay.      Another  specimen  from  near 

Cape  Bunny. 

3.  Specimens  of  carnelian,  gneiss,  chalcedony,  etc.,  etc.,  flrom  the  ahin- 

glo  near  Capo  Bunny.  •  • 

4.  Crotnut  Arcticna,  several  specimens. 

5.  Atrypa  phoca  (Salter). 

6.  Atri/pa  relicularit. 

7.  Braohiupoda  on  slab  (various).  *-  ' 

8.  Cyathophyllum. 

9.  Columnaria  Suthetiandi  (Salter).     Several  specimens. 

No.  II.  PORT  LEOPOLD  (Lat.  73°  50'  N. ;  Long.  90°  15'  W.) 

1.  Limestone  containing  numerous  fossils  of  the  Upper  Silurian  type : 

Caltnopora    Gothlandica,  Goldf.     RhynchontUa  cutteata  f    Dalm< 
Cgathophyllum,  sp. 

2.  Dark  earthy  limestone,   containing    multitudes  of  the   Loxonema 

M'Ctintocki,  as  casts — 1000  feet  above  sea  level  on  North-oast  Capo. 

3.  Fine  specimens  of  selenite  from  shaly  beds  in  cliff. 

4.  Fibrous  gypsum  from  same.  ,     ,:  j  ,;; 

No.  IIL  GRIFFITH'S  ISLAND  (Lat.  74°  35'  N. ;  Long.  95°  .30'  W.) 

1.  Beautiful  specimens  of  the  Crotnut  Arcticui.     PI.  VI.  Fig.  5,  Journ. 

R.  D.S.,  Vol.  L     ,  ..,,';,;;...>^-:"-  .-.•,'.:, 

2.  Orthoceraa  Oriffithi,     PI.  V.  Fig.  1,  Journ.  R.  D.  S.,  Vol.  I. 

3.  An  Orthoceras  with  lateral  siphunclo,  and  simple  circular  outline  of 

septa. 

4.  Loxonema  Rossi.     PI.  V.  Figs.  6,  8,  9,  10,  11,  Jour.  R.  D.  S.,  Vol.  I. 

5.  Numerous  specimens  of  crinodial  limestone. 

8.  Strophomena  Donnetti  (Salter).     Sutherland's  Voynge ;  PI.  V.  Figs. 
11,  12. 

7.  Atrypa  j>hoca  (Salter).    PI.  V.  Figs.  3,  4,  7,  Journ.  R.  D.  S.,  Vol.  1 ; 

and  a  ribbed  Atrypa,  not  identified  with  Eurcpean  species,  and  un< 
described. 

8.  An  uudosoribcd  bryoDan  Zoophyte.     PI.  VII.  Fig.  6,  Jonrn.  R.  D. 

8.,  VoLL 


No.  IV. 


APPENDIX. 


29S 


9.  CalophylluM  Pragmoeerat  (Salter  ).    gatherland;  PI  VI.  Fig.  4. 

10.  Syringopora  geniculata. 

11.  An  undescribed  species  of  J/ucrocAet7u«. 


No.  IV.  BEECHEY  ISL/T^    (Lat.  74'*  40'  N.j  Long.  92*  W.) 

1.  Ortboceras  (species). 

2.  Great  multitudes  of  Airypa  phoca,  forming,  in  fact,  a  dark-colored 

eartby  Atrypa  limestone. 
8.  With  these  were  associated  many  species  of  Lozonema,  sometimes 
BO  abundant  as  to  form  a  pale  pink  and  whitish  Loxonema  lime- 
stone. 

4.  A  species  of  ribbed  Atrypa. 

5.  Crinodial  limestone  in  abundance.  ' 

6.  Si/ringopora  retictdata. 

7.  CalopkifUum  phragmocerat  (Salter).    Sutherland ;  PL  VI.  Fig.  4. 

8.  Cyathophyllum  ca»pito$um. 

9.  CyathaphyV'^vi  articulatum  (Edwardei  and  Haime.) 

10.  Culnmupora  Gothlandiea. 

11.  Ccdamopora  alveolarit.  .    ' 

12.  FavittcUf  Pranib/i'ut  (Salter).     Sutherland;  PI.  VI.  Fig.  3. 
n.  Clitiophyllum  Salteri.    Sutherland;  PI.  VI.  Fig.  7. 

14.  Cyathophyllum  (species). 

15.  Loxonema  Salteri,  described  by  Mr.  Slater  in  Sutherland's  '  Voyage 

to  Wellington  Cbannei ;'  PI.  V.  Fig.  19. 

This  is  a  fine  slab  of  limestone,  almost  altogether  composed  of  tha 
remains  of  Loxonema  Salteri  and  Atrypa  phoca.  It  appears  to  hara 
been  quietly  deposited  at  the  bottom  of  a  deep  submarine  depression, 
swarming  with  the  Pyramidellidas  and  deep-water  Brachiopoda.  The 
physical  conditions  indicated  by  the  fossils  are  also  rendered  proba- 
ble by  the  rock  itself,  which  consists  of  fine  grey  limestone,  suborys- 
talline,  and  intimately  blended  with  the  finest  and  most  delioata 
description  of  mud,  such  as  could  only  be  found  whore  the  water  was 
deep,  and  all  currents  far  removed. 

No.  V.  CORNWALLIS  ISLAND,  Assistance  Bay  (Lat.  74^  40'  N.;  Lon» 

94«>  W.) 

1.  Orthocerat  Ommaneyi  (Salter).    Sutherland ;  PI.  V.  Figs.  16, 17. 

2.  Pentamerue  conchidium  (Dalman).     Sutherland;  PI.  V.  Figs.  9,  10 

3.  Pentamerus  limestone. 

4.  CroMM  Areticut.    Journ.  R.  D.  S.,  Vol.  I.  PI.  VI. 

5.  Cardiola  Salteri.    PI.  VII.  Fig.  5.    Journ.  B.  D.  S.,  Vol.  L 

6.  Syrtngopora  geniculata. 


296 


APPENDIX. 


Mo.  IV 


No.  VI.    CAPE  YORK/  Laoeaster  Sound  (Lat.  73<>  50'  N. ;  Long. 

87®  W.) 

A  specimen  of  the  same  fossil  coral  which  I  have  named,  doubU 
fully,  from  Beechey  Island,  as  FaTosites  or  Calamopora  Oothlaudica; 
it  is  not  impossible,  however,  that  it  is  not  a  Calamopora  at  all,  but  a 
species  of  ChsDtetes. 

No.  VII.    POSSESSION   BAT;  South  entrance  into  Lancaster  Sound 
(Lat.  73»  30'  N. ;  Long:  77°  20'  W.) 

Specimens  of  brown  earthy  limestone,  with  a  fetid  smell  when 
struck  with  a  hammer;  resembles  closely  the  limestone  of  Cape 
York,  Lancaster  Sound. 

No.  yill.    DEPOT  BAY,  Bellot's  Straits  (Lat  72°  N.j  Long.  94°  W.) 

1.  Maclurea  sp. 

2.  Cuathophyllum  helianthoide$  (Qoldfuss). 

The  limestone  of  this  locality  is  white  and  saocharoid,  with  larg* 
rhombohedral  crystals  of  calcspar. 

•  No.  IX.     CAPE   FARRAND,  East   side  of  Boothia  (Lat  71°  38'; 

Long.  93°35'W.) 

1.  Atrjfpa  phoea  (Salter).    Sutherland ;  PI.  V.  Fig.  3. 

2.  Loxonema  Rotn.    Journ.  R.  D,  S.,  Vol.  I.  PI.  V. 

3.  Atrypa  (ribbed  sp.) 

4.  Cidamopora  Gothlandica  (Goldfuss). 

5.  C7yrtoc«ra«  sp. 

The  rock  at  this  locality  is  grey  mod  limestone. 

No.  X.  WEST  SHORE  OF  BOOTHIA  (Lat  70°  to  71°  N.),  containing 

the  Magnetic  Pole. 

1.  ^rrypa  j»Aoea  (Salter). 

2.  Loxontma  Jto$»i,    Journ  R.  D.  S.,  Vol.  I.  PI.  V. 

3.  Favittella  Franklini  (Salter).    Journ.  R.  D.  S.,  Vol.  I.  PI.  XL 

4.  Loxonema  Salteri.    Sutherland  ;  PI.  V.  Fig.  18. 

The  cream-colored  chalky  limestone  found  on  the  vr'^st  side  of 
Prince  of  Wales'  Island  here  occurs,  and  is  generally  destitate  of 
fotisils.  like  that  of  Prince  of  Wales*  Land. 

t  No.  XL  FURY  POINT  (Lnt  72°  50'  N. ;  Long.  92°  W.) 

1.  Cromu$  Arcticu:     Journ.  R.  D.  S.,  Vol.  I.  PI.  VI. 

2.  Maelurta  sp.  < 

*  Collected  by  Dr.  Walker,  surgeon  to  the  '  Fox'  Expedition. 
f  Collected  by  Dr.  Walker,  surgeon  to  the  '  Fox '  Expedition. 


No.  IV. 


APPENDIX. 


89t 


8.  J/ya  rotundata  (?). 

4.  Stromatopora  coneentriea. 

6.  Ctfathophyllum  helianthoide$  (Ooldfuss). 

0    Petraia  bina.  ^ 

7  CaLjmopora  Qathlandiea  (Goldfuss). 

8  Favotite*  tnegaatoma  (?) 

9.  Cynthophyllum  eoetpitonum. 

10.  FavitteU% Franklini  (Salter).    Sutherland;  PI.  VI.  Fig.  S. 

11.  ^/rej9Ao(/««^u«/»nt  (Salter).     Sutherland ;  PI.  VI.  Fig.  6. 

12.  ^(r^/>a^Aoea  (Salter). 

The  limestone  here  is  of  the  same  grey  earthy  aspect  at  at  Beoeb*9 
Island  and  Port  Leopold. 

•  No.  XII.     PRINCE  OF  WALES'  LAND  (Lat  W*  88'  N.;  Long. 

97°  15'  W.) 

1.  Cyathophyllum  sp. 

2.  Calamopora  Oothlandica  (Goldfuss). 
8.  Stromatopora  coneentriea. 

These  fossils  occur  in  grey  earthy  limestone,  near  its  junction  witli 
the  red  arenaceous  limestone  already  described. 

No.  XIIL    ^yEST  COAST  OF  KING  WILLIAM'S  ISLAND. 

1.  Loxonema  Rotti.    Journ.  R.  D.  S.,  Vol.  I.  PI.  V. 

2.  Catenipora  eteharoidet, 

8.  Orthocerat  sp.  .     - 

4.  Jlaelurea  sp.  ^  . 

5.  Atrypa  sp. 

6.  Syringopora  geniculata. 

7.  Clitiophyllum  sp. 

8.  Orthia  elegantula. 

III. — The  Carboniferous  Bocks. 

The  Upper  Silurian  limestones  already  described  are  sac* 
ceeded  by  a  most  remarkable  series  of  close-grained  white 
sandstones,  containing  numerous  beds  of  highly  bituminous 
coal,  and  but  few  marine  fossils.  In  fact,  the  only  fossil 
shell  found  in  these  beds,  so  far  as  I  know,  in  any  part  of 
the  Arctic  Archipelago,  is  a  species  of  ribbed  Atrypa,  which 
I  believe  to  be  identical  with  the  Atfypa  fallax  of  the  car- 
boniferous slate  of  Ireland.     These  sandstone  beds  are  sue* 


•'  Collected  by  Captain  Allen  Toung. 


298 


APPENDIX. 


No.  n 


cecded  by  a  series  of  blue  linfestone  beds,  containing  as 
abundance  of  tlie  marine  shells  commonly  found  in  all  parts 
of  the  world  where  the  carboniferous  deposits  are  at  all  de- 
veloped.  The  line  of  junction  of  these  deposits  with  the 
Silurians  on  which  they  rest  is  N.  E.  to  E.  N.  ,E.  (true). 
Like  the  former  they  occur  in  low  flat  beds,  sometimes  rising 
into  cliffs,  but  never  reaching  the  eleyation  attained  by  the 
Silurian  rocks  in  Lancaster  Sound. 

The  following  lists  contain  the  principal  fossils  and  spe- 
cimens presented  to  the  Royal  Dublin  Society  by  Captain 
M'Clintock  and  by  Captain  Sir  Robert  M'Clure : 

Coal,  sandstone,  clay  ironstone,  and  brown  hematite,  were  found 
along  a  line  stretching  E.  N.  E.  from  Baring  Island,  through  the 
south  of  Melville  Island,  Byam  Martin's  Island,  and  the  whole  of 
Bathurst  Island.  Carboniferous  limestone,  with  oharacteristie  foi« 
sils,  was  found  along  the  north  coast  of  Bathurst  Island,  and  at  Hil- 
lock Point,  Melville  Island. 


I  have  marked  on  the  map  the  coal-beds  of  the  Parry 
Islands,  which  appear  to  be  prolonged  into  Baring  Island, 
as  observed  by  Captain  M'Clure.  The  discovery  of  coal  in 
these  islands  is  due  to  Parry,  but  the  evidence  of  the  extent 
and  quantity  in  which  it  may  be  found  was  obtained  during 
the  expeditions  of  Austin  and  Belcher.  In  addition  to  the 
localities  surveyed  by  himself.  Captain  M'Clintock  has  given 
me  specimens  of  the  coal  found  at  other  places  by  other 
explorers ;  and  it  is  from  a  comparison  of  all  these  speci- 
mens that  I  have  ventured  to  lay  down  the  out-crop  of  the 
coal-beds,  which  agrees  remarkably  well  with  the  boundary 
of  the  formations  laid  down  from  totally  different  data. 

No.  I.    HILLOCK  POINT,  Melville  Island  (Liit.  76°  N.j  Long.  Ill* 

i    :  .-:!,  45'  W.)  •  •'  ':   ~   ; 

■I      Productua  aulcatut.    Joum.  E.  D.  S.,  Vol.  L  PI.  VIL  Figs.  1,  2,  it 
4,  T. 
S/nri/er  Arctteut.    Joum.  R.  D.  S.,  Vol.  I.  PI.  IX. 


Ho.  IV. 


APPENDIX. 


S9» 


No.  II.     BATHURST  ISLAXD^North  Coast,  Cape  Lady  Franklin  (?) 
(Lat  70°  40'  N.;  Long.  98»  46'  W.) 

Spin/er  Arettctu.    Jour.  R.  D.  S.,  Vol.  L  PI.  IX.  Fig.  1. 
Lithoatrotionbatalti/ortne. 

•  No.  IIL    BALLAST  BEACH,  Baring  Island  (Lat.  74°  30'  N.;  Long, 

121°  W.) 

1.  Wood  fossilised  by  brown  hematite ;  straoture  quite  distinct* 

2.  Cone  of  the  spruce  fir,  fossilized  by  brown  hematite. 

No.  IV.    PRINCESS  ROTAL  ISLANDS,  Prince  of  Wales'  Strait,  Ba. 
ring  Island  (Lat.  72»  45'  N. ;  Long.  117°  30'  W.) 

1.  Nodules  of  clay  ironstone,  converted  partially  into  brown  hematite. 

2.  Native  copper  in  large  masses,  procured   from  the  Esquimaux  in 

Prince  of  Wales'  Strait. 
8.  Brown  hematite,  pisolitic. 
4.  Greyish  yellow  sandstone,  same  as  Cape  Hamilton  and  Byam  Martin't 

Inland. 
6.  Terebratula  atpera  (Schlotheim).    Journ.  R.  D.  S.,  Vol.  L  PI.  IX. 
■     Fig.  4.  ._..■.->.,     •:..■■. 

This  interesting  brachiopod  was  found  in  the  limestone 
by  Captain  M'Clure,  at  the  Princess  Royal  Islands,  in  the 
Prince  of  Wales'  Strait,  between  Baring  Island  and  Prince 
Albert  Land.  I  have  no  hesitation  in  pronouncing  it  to  be 
identical  with  Schlotheim's  fossil,  which  is  found  in  the 
greatest)  abundance  at  Gerolstein,  in  the  Eifel.  Banks' 
Land,  oi  Baring  Island,  is  composed  of  sandstone,  similar 
to  that  at  Byam  Martin's  Island,  and  at  the  Bay  of  Mercy. 
This  sandstone  contains  beds  of  coal,  apparently  the  con- 
tinuation of  the  well-known  coal-beds  of  Melvil!e  Island. 
It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  these  carboniferous  sandstones 
underlie  beds  of  undoubtedly  the  carboniferous  limestone 
type,  and  that  at  Byam  Martin's  Island,  where  fossils  are 
found  in  this  sandstone,  they  are  allied  to  Atrypa  fallax 
and  other  forms  characteristic  of  the  lower  sandstones  of 
the  carboniferous  epoch.     It  is,  therefore,  highly  probable 

*  These  specimens  are  " Drift"  but  are  mentioned  here  as  they  were 
foand  on  the  carboniferous  sandstone  area. 


•  1  ■ 


m 

■  «",",«.  I 

ill 

■!;  "\\ 
'  'Kit  I 

i|f 


800 


APPENDIX. 


No.  17 


that  the  coal-beds  of  Melville  liiland  are  very  low  down  in 
the  series,  and  do  not  correspond  in  geological  position 
with  the  coal-beds  of  Europe,  which  rest  on  the  summit  of 
the  carboniferous  beds.  It  is  interesting  to  find  at  Princess 
Royal  Island,  where,  from  the  general  strike  of  the  beds,  we 
should  expect  to  find  the  Silurian  limestone  underlying  the 
coal-bearing  sandstones,  that  this  limestone  does  occur,  and 
contains  a  fossil,  T.  aspera,  eminently  characteristic  of  the 
Eifelian  beds  of  Germany,  which  form,  in  that  country,  the 
Upper  Silurian  Strata. 

1 

No.  V.  CAPE  HAMILTON,  Baring  Island  flat.  74o  15'  N.*  Long.  117' 

80'  W.). 

1.  Greyish-yellow  sandstone,  like  that  found  in  $Uu  in  Byam  Martin'k 

Island. 

2.  Coal. — The  coal  found  in  the  Arctic  regions,  excepting  that  brought 

from  Disco  Island,  West  Greenland,  which  is  of  tertiary  origin, 
presents  eTerywhere  the  same  characters,  which  are  somewhat  re- 
markable.  It  is  of  a  brownish  color  and  Itgnaceous  texture,  in 
fine  layers  of  brown  coal  and  jet-black  glossy  coal  interstratified  in 
delicate  bands  not  thicker  than  paper.  It  has  a  woody  ring  under 
the  hammer,  recalling  the  peculiar  clink  of  some  of  the  raluable 
gas  coals  of  Scotland.  It  bums  with  a  dense  smoke  and  brilliant 
flame,  and  would  make  an  excellent  gas  coal ;  and,  in  fact,  it  re- 
sembles in  many  respects  some  Tarieties  of  the  coal  which  has 
acquired  such  celebrity  in  the  Scotch  and  Prussian  law-courts, 
under  the  title  of  the  Torbane  Hill  mineral. 

No.  YL  CAPE  DUNDAS,  Melville  Island  (Lat.  W*  30'  N.;  Long.  11*  • 

46' W.). 
Fine  specimeni  of  coal. 

No.  VIL  CAPE  SIR  JAMES  ROSS,  Melville  Island  (Lat  74*  4ft'  N.; 

Long.  114®  30' W.). 
Sandstone  passing  into  blue  quartzite. 

NcYIIL  CAPE  PROVIDENCE,  Melville  Island  (Lat  74«  20'  N,| 

Long.  112*'  30'  W.).  i\ 

A  specimen  of  crinoidal  limestone,  apparently  similar  to  that  occur- 
ring In  Griffith's  Island,  flrom  which,  however,  it  eould  not  have 
been  brought  by  the  present  drift  of  the  floating  ice,  as  the  set  of 


No.  IV. 


APPENDIX. 


801 


the  currents  is  constant  from  the  west.  If  brought  to  its  present 
position  by  ice,  it  must  have  been  under  circumstances  (.iffering 
•onsiderably  from  those  now  prevailing  in  Barrow's  Strait 

Tellowish-grey  sandstone. 

Clay  ironstone  passing  into  pisolitic  hematite. 

No.  IX.  WINTER  HARBOR,  Melville  Island  (Lat  74o  35  N'. ;  Long. 

110°  45' W.). 

Pine  yellow  and  grey  sandstone. 

No.  X.    BRIDPORT    INLET,  Melville  Island  (Lat  75<>  N.;   Long. 

109°  W.). 

Coal,  with  impressions  of  Sphenopteris.  ' 

Ferruginous  spotted  white  sandstone. 

Clay  ironstone,  passing  into  brown  hematite. 

No.  XI.  SKENE  BAY,  Melville  Island  (Lat  75«  N.;  Long.  108»  W.). 

Bituminous  coal,  with  finely  divided  laminss,  associated  with  brown 
erystalline  limestone,  with  oherty  beds,  and  grey*yellowish  sand- 
stone, passing  into  brownish-red  sandstone. 

No.  XII.  HOOPER  ISLAND,  Liddon's  Gulf,  Melville  Island  (Lat  75« 

5'  N.j  Long.  112"  W.). 
Nodules  of  clay  ironstone,  very  pure  and  heavy,  associated  with 
ferruginous  fiuo  sandstone  and  coal  of  the  usual  description. 

The  hill-tops  and  sides  along  the  south  shore  of  Liddon's 
Gulf,  and  as  far  as  Cape  Dundas,  are  generally  bare,  com- 
posed of  frozen  mud,  arising  from  the  disintegration  of 
shale,  the  annual  dissolving  snows  washing  them  down  and 
giving  them  a  rounded  form.  The  southern  slopes  gene- 
rally support  vegetation.  Fragments  of  coal  are  very  fre- 
quently met  with,  and  at  the  mouth  of  a  ravine  on  the  scuth 
shore  of  Liddon's  Gulf  there  is  abundance,  of  very  good 
quality ;  it  contains  a  considerable  quantity  of  pyrites  or 
bisulphuret  of  iron. 

No.  XIII.  BYAM  MARTIN'S  ISLAND  (Lat  75°  10'  N.;  Long.  104» 

15'  W.). 

Yellowish-grey  sandstone,  tn  $itu,  containing  a  ribbed  Atrypa,  allied 
to  tbo  A.  primipilariB  of  V.  Buoh,  and  the  A/allax  of  the  carbon* 
Iforons  roeki  of  Ireland. 


m 

.11 


(';•> 


'1  ■i^'\ 


ii  '%^ 


802 


APPENDIX. 


If  o.  IV. 


Reddish  limestone,  with  broken  fragments  of  abells,  o*  the  sanie 

description  of  bracbiopod  as  the  last. 
Coal  of  the  usual  description. 
Fine-grainod  red  sandstone,  parsing  mfo  >.>)]  .'uri . 
Bcoriaceous  horublendic  trip  (bouMei>). 

The  sandstone  of  Byani  Martinis  Island  is  of  two  kinds — 
one  red,  finely  stratified,  passing  into  purple  slate,  and  very 
like  the  red  sandstone  of  Cape  Bunny,  North  Somerset,  and 
some  varieties  of  the  red  sandstone  and  slate  found  between 
Wolstenholmc  Sound  and  Whale  Sound,  West  Greenland, 
lat.  77°  N.  The  other  sandstone  of  Byam  Martin's  Island 
is  fine,  pale-greenish,  or  rather  greyish-yellow,  and  not  dis* 
tinguishable  in  hand  specimens  from  the  sandstone  of  Cape 
Hamilton,  Baring  Island.  It  contains  numerous  shells  and 
casts  of  a  terebratuliform  brachiopod,  closely  allied  to  the 
Terehratula  primipilaris  of  Von  Buch,  found  abundantly 
at  Gerolstein  in  the  Eifel.  On  the  whole,  I  incline  to  the 
opinion  that  the  sandstones,  limestone,  and  coal  of  Byam 
Martin's  Island,  are  the  corresponding  rocks  of  Melville 
Island,  Baring  Island,  and  Bathurst  Island,  are  low  down 
in  the  Carboniferous  System,  and  that  there  is  in  these 
northern  coal-fields  no  subdivision  into  red  sandstone,  lime 
stone,  and  coal-meiflftires,  such  as  prevails  in  the  west  oi 
Europe.  If  the  different  points  where  coal  was  found  hi 
laid  down  on  a  map,  we  have  in  order,  proceeding  from  the 
south-west — Cape  Hamilton,  Baring  Island;  Caps;  Dundas. 
Melville  Island,  south ;  IBridport  Inlet  and  Skene  Bay,  Mel- 
ville Island ;  Schomberg  Point,  Graham  Moore  Bay,  Bath- 
urst Island ;  a  line  joining  all  these  points  is  the  outcrop 
of  the  coal-beds  of  the  south  of  Melville  Island,  and  runs 
£.  N.  E.  At  all  the  localities  above  mentioned,  and,  in- 
deed, in  every  place  where  coal  was  found,  it  was  accom- 
panied by  the  greyish-yell6w  and  yellow  sandstone  already 
described,  and  by  nodules  of  clay  ironstone,  passing  into 
brown  hematite,  sometimes  nodular  and  sometimes  pisolitic 
in  structure. 


tlo.IV. 


APPENDIX. 


803 


No.  XIV.  GEAHAH  MOORE'S  BAT,  Batburst  Island  (Lat  75o  30'  N.; 

Long.  102O  W.). 
Coal  of  the  usual  quality. 

At  Cape  Lady  Franklin,  and  at  many  other  localitiei 
along  the  north  shore  of  Batharst  Island,  carboniferous 
fossils  in  limestone,  clay  ironstone  balls  passing  into  brown 
hematite,  cherty  limestone,  and  earthy  fossiliferous  limestone, 
with  the  same  species  of  Atrypa  as  at  Byam  Martin's 
Island,  were  found  in  abundance  by  Sherard  Osborn,  Esq., 
Commander  of  H.  M.  S.  '  Pioneer,'  in  whose  journal  the 
following  note  respecting  them  may  be  found  : — 

"  The  above  collection  was  delivered  over  to  Captain  Sir 
Edward  Belcher,  C.  B.,  by  Commander  Richards,  at  2  p.  M., 
onUhNov.,  1853."* 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  they  may  soon  be  made  available 
for  the  elucidation  of  the  geology  of  this  most  interesting 
portion  of  the  Arctic  discoveries. 

No.  XV.  BATHURST  ISLAND,  Bedford  Bay  (Lat.  75«  N.j  Long.  »6» 

60'  W.). 

In  this  locality  abundance  of  vesftular  scoriaceous  trap  rockf 
were  found  by  Captain  M'ClintocIc ;  they  appear  to  me  to  be  th« 
representatives  of  the  volcanic  roclcs  found  everywhere  at  tho 
commencement  of  the  carboniferous  period. 

No.  XVL  CORNWALLIS  ISLAND,  M'Dougall  Bay. 

1.  Syringopora  genieulata.    Journ.  R.  D.  S.,  Vol.  I.  P].  XL  Fig.  2. 

2.  Cardiola  Salteri.    Journ.  R.  D.  S.,  Vol.  I.  PI.  VII.  Fig.  6. 

The  Syringopore  found  at  Cornwallis  Island  appears  to 
be  identical  with  the  variety  of  the  Irish  carboniferous  S. 
geniculaia,  in  which  the  corallites  are  at  a  distance  from 
each  other  somewhat  exceeding  their  diameters,  and  in 
which  the  connecting  tubes  are  about  two  diameters  apart. 

A  question  of  very  considerable  geological   interest  ii 


i 


m 

I 


•  Vide  Arctic  Expeditions,  1854-55,  p.  254, 


304 


APPENDIX. 


NkIV. 


raised  by  the  occurrence  together  of  coral,  in  the  same 
locality,  of  silurian  and  carboniferous  forms. 

I  entertain  no  doubt  of  their  being  in  situ,  and  occurring 
in  the  same  beds,  for  the  following  reasons : 

1st.  The  Syringopores  of  GrifiBth's  Island  were  found  at 
an  elevation  of  400  feet  above  the  sea,  and,  therefore,  could 
not  be  brought  ijy  drifting  ice. 

2nd.  The  specimens  were  apparently  of  the  same  texture 
and  composition  as  the  native  rock,  whenever  the  latter 
was  visible  from  under  the  snow. 

3rd.  I  do  not  believe  in  the  lapse  of  a  long  interval  of 
time  between  the  silurian  and  carboniferous  deposits, — in 
fact,  in  a  Devonian  period. 

4.  The  same  blending  of  corals  has  been  found  in  Ireland, 
the  Bos  Bou^onnais,  and  in  Devonshire,  where  silurian  and 
carboniferous  forms  are  of  common  occurrence  in  the  same 
localities. 

5th.  In  the  carboniferous  beds  proper  of  Melville  Island 
and  Bathurst  Island,  there  were  not  found,  so  far  as  I  am 
aware,  any  corals  of  the  same  character  as  those  at  Griffith's 
Island,  Cornwallis  IslaUd,  and  Bcechey  Island,  which  could 
give  a  snpply  to  be  drifted  to  the  latter  localities  in  a 
Pleistocere  sea.  It  is  plain,  from  the  height  at  which  the 
corals  were  found  that,  if  they  were  brought  to  their  present 
localities  by  ice,  it  must  have  been  during  the  period  known 
as  Post-tertiary,  as  the  present  conditions  of  drift-ice  in 
Barrow's  Straits  do  not  permit  us  to  suppose  them  to  have 
been  placed  where  we  now  find  them  by  existing  causes. 

The  occurrence  of  coal-beds  in  such  high  latitudes  has 
been  speculated  on  by  many  geologists — in  my  opinion,  not 
very  satisfactorily ;  as  it  is  very  difficult  to  conceive  how, 
even  if  the  question  of  temperature  was  settled,  plants  even 
of  the  fern  and  lycopodium  type  could  exist  during  the 
darkness  of  the  long  winter's  night  at  Melville  Island.  This 
difficulty  is  increased  by  the  facts  made  known  to  I's  by  the 


H«.IT. 


APPENDIX. 


805 


discorerj  of  ammonites  and  lias  fossils  in  Prince  Patrick's 
Island  by  Captain  M'Clintock. 


IV. —  The  Lias  Bocks. 

* 

Many  years  ago  it  was  asserted  by  Lieutenant  Anjou,  of 
the  Russian  Navy,  that  ammonites  liad  been  found  by  him 
in  the  cliff's  on  the  south  shore  of  the  island  of  New  Si- 
beria, off  the  north  coast  of  Asia,  in  lat  74^  N.  This 
itatement,  which  was  published  in  Admiral  Yon  Wrangle's 
journal,  attracted  but  little  attention,  until  it  was  confirmed, 
as  fur  as  probability  of  such  fossils  occurring  at  so  high  a 
latitude  is  concerned,  by  the  remarkable  discovery  of  smilar 
fossils  by  Captain  M'Clintock,  in  lat.  76''  20'  N.,  at  Point 
Wilkie,  in  Prince  Patrick's  Island. 

In  a  paper,  published  by  the  Royal  Dublin  Society,  in 
the  first  volume  of  their  journal,  p.  223,  Captain  M'Clin- 
tock  thus  describes  the  finding  of  these  fossils : 

"  After  returning  to  Cape  de  Bray,  we  took  up  the  pro- 
visions that  the  officer  after  whom  it  is  called  had  left  for 
us,  and  crossed  the  strait  to  Point  Wilkie ;  reached  it  on 
the  14th  May.  This  traverse  was  the  more  difficult  from 
the  great  load  upon  our  sledge,  and  the  unfavorable  state 
of  the  ice  and  snow.  The  freshly  fallen  snow  was  soft  and 
deep,  and  beneath  it  the  older  snow  lay  in  furrows  across 
our  route,  hardened  and  polished  by  the  winter  gales  and 
drifts,  so  tha(  it  resembled*marble. 

"On  landing  I  found  the  beach  low,  composed  of  mud, 
with  the  foot-prints  of  animals  frozen  in  it.  A  few  hundred 
yards  from  the  beach  there  are  steep  hills,  about  150  feet 
in  height,  and  upon  the  sides  of  these,  in  reddish>colored 
limestone,  casts  of  fossil  shells  abound.  Inland  of  these, 
the  ordinary  pale  carboniferous  sandstone  and  cherty  lime- 
stone reappeared.  The  fossils  are  all  small,  and  of  only  a 
few  varieties,  some  being  ammonites,  but  the  greater  part 
20 


■I  •.: . 
,    ,1 


806 


APPENDIX. 


No.  If 


bivaWes.  They  diffured  from  niiy  I  had  met  with  before, 
and  the  rock  was  almost  brick-red  ;  I  picked  up  what  ap- 
peared to  be  fossil  bone  (^Ilchlhyoaauruaf),  only  part  of  it 
appearing  out  of  the  fragment  of  the  rouk. 

"  Point  Wilkie  appears  to  bo  an  isolated  patch  of  liassic 
age,  resting  apon  carboniferous  sandstones 'and  limestones, 
with  bands  of  chert,  of  the  same  age  as  the  limestones  and 
sandstones  of  Melville  Island.  The  eastern  shores  of  In- 
trepid  Inlet  is  composed  of  this  formation ;  while  the  western, 
rising  into  hills  and  terraces,  is  of  the  underlying  carbon- 
iferous epoch.  At  the  western  side  of  Intrepid  Inlet  I  found 
upon  the  ice  a  considerable  quantity  of  white  asbestos,  but 
did  not  ascertain  from  whence  it  had  been  brought." 

The  fossils  thus  found  in  ailu,  1  have  no  doubt,  belong 
to  the  liassic  period ;  and  as  their  geological  interest  is  in- 
dubitable, I  offer  no  apology  for  inserting  here  the  follow- 
ing description,  written  by  me  on  Captain  M'Clintock's  re- 
turn to  Dublin  from  his  third  Arctic  expedition. 

No.  I.    WILKIE  POINT,  Prince  Patrick's  Land  (Lat.  W  20'  N.;  Long, 
.        ,  .  1170  20' W.). 

LIAS  FOSSILS. 

(a)  AmmoHUe$  JTCltntocki,    Journ.  R.  D.  S.,  Vol.  I.  PI.  IX.  ¥\gB.  2,  3,  L 

Honotia  teptentnonalit.    Journ.  R.  D.  S.,  Vol.  I.  PI,  IX.  Figs.  6,  7. 

PUurotomaria,  sp.    Journ,  R.  D.  S.,  Vol  I.  PI.  IX.  Fig.  8. 

Cast  of  some  Univalve.    Journ.  R.  D,  S,,  Vol,  I.  PI.  IX.  Fig.  7. 

Nucula,  sp.  ^ 

(a)  Ammonites  M'Clintooki  (Haughton).— T'es^a  compreitd,  earinatd, 
an/raetibm  latit,  lateribu$,  eomplanatit,  tranBver$im  UHctato-coatatin ;  eottit 
timplicibu9,  juxtd  marginem  interiorem  levigatt*  ;  dorto  enritiato  acuta  ; 
aperturd  tagittatd,  compreitd,  anlice  earinatd  ;  teptit  lateribut  \-lobatU. 


This  fine  ammonite  resembles  several  species  common  in 
the  upper  lias  of  the  Plateau  de  Larzac,  Sevennes,  in 
France.  It  approaches  A.  concavus  of  the  lower  Oolite, 
but  is  distinguished  by  having  only  four  lobes  on  the  lateral 
margins  of  the  septu,  and  by  its  showing  no  tendency  to  a 


No.  IV. 


APPENDIX. 


80t 


ti'icarinnted  keel.  The  following  mcosarcments  give  an 
cxuct  idea  of  its  form,  as  compared  with  that  of  the  species 
mentioned : 


A.  M^Clintocki, 
A  concavua,  . 


Dikineter, 
Ioeh«t. 


1.83 
2.95 


Width  of 
Uat  Spire. 
Diam^lOO 


M 


100 


Thlckneis 

of  IftHt 

Spire. 


1% 


OrerUpping 
of l»it 
Spire. 


Width 

of 
Cmltilifl. 


1% 

T'lft 


The  principal  difference  here  observable  is  in  the  some* 
what  greater  size  of  A.  concavua,  and  the  larger  umbilic 
of  A,  M^Clintocki,  It  certainly  resembles  this  well-knowii 
ammonite  very  closely ;  and  it  appears  to  me  difiBcult  to 
imagine  the  possibility  of  such  a  fossil  living  in  a  frozen,  or 
even  a  temperate  sea. 

The  discovery  of  such  fossils  in  situ,  in  *IQ^  north  lati- 
tude, is  calculated  to  throw  considerable  doubt  upon  the 
theories  of  climate  which  would  account  for  all  past  changei 
of  temperature  by  changes  in  the  relative  position  of  land 
and  water  on  the  earth's  surface.  No  attempt,  that  I  am 
aware  of,  has  ever  been  made  to  calculate  the  number  of 
degrees  of  change  possible  in  consequence  of  changes  of 
position  of  land  and  water ;  and  from  some  incomplete  cal- 
culations I  have  myself  made  on  the  subject,  I  think  it 
highly  improbable  that  such ,  causes  could  have  ever  pro- 
duced a  temperature  in  the  sea  at  76°  north  latitude  which 
would  allow  of  the  existence  of  ammonites,  especially  am- 
monites so  like  those  that  lived  at  the  same  time  in  the 
tropical  warm  seas  of  the  south  of  England  and  France,  at 
the  close  of  the  Liassic,  and  commencement  of  the  lower 
Oolitic  period.  » 

During  the  course  of  the  same  Arctic  expedition  in  which 
these  organic  remains  were  found,  Captain  Sir  Edward  Bel- 
cher discovered  in  some  loose  rubble,  of  which  a  cairn  was 


I 


:08 


APPENDIX. 


No.  IV. 


built  on  Exraouth  Island  (lat.  17**  12'  N.,  Ion.  96'  W.), 
vertebral  bones  of,  apparently,  some  liassie  enaliosaurian. 
All  doubt  as  to  the  reality  of  this  discovery,  and  all  idea  of 
accounting  for  the  occurrence  of  such  remains  by  drift, 
must  be  abandoned,  as  the  fossils  found  by  M'CIintock  were 
unquestionably  in  situ,  and  it  is  impossible  to  evade  the 
consequences  that  follow  to  geological  theory  from  their 
discovery. 

Captain  Sherard  Osborn,  also,  found  broken  vertebras  of 
an  ichthyosaurus,  150  feet  up  Rendezvous  Hill,  the  north- 
west extreme  of  Bathnrst  Island :  of  these  specimens,  one 
lay  among  a  mass  of  »tone  that  had  slipped  from  the  N.  W. 
face  of  the  hill ;  the  other  was  by  the  side  of  a  ravine  or 
deep  watercourse  on  the  southern  face  of  the  same  elevation. 
I  have  no  doubt  but  that  they  were  in  situ. 

I  am  well  aware  that  the  question  of  light  in  the  Arctic 
seas  will  be  disposed  of  by  some  geologists,  who  will  remind 
lis  that  the  saurians,  and  probably  the  ammonites,  were  en 
dowcd  with  a  complicated  optical  apparatus,  rendering  them 
capable  of  using  their  eyes,  not  only  for  the  distinct  vision 
of  objects  differing  greatly  in  distance,  but  also  of  using 
them,  under  widely  differing  conditions  of  light  and  dark- 
uess ;  and  I  readily  admit  the  force  of  such  observations. 

But  what  are  we  to  say  as  to  the  question  of  temperature  ? 
It  was  certainly  necessary  for  an  ammonite  to  have  a  sea 
free  from  ice,  on  which  to  float  and  bask  in  the  pale  rays  of 
the  Arctic  sun ;  and  therefore  I  claim  a  temperature  for 
those  seas,  at  least  similar  to  that  which  now  prevails  in  the 
British  Islands :  and  I  may  add  that  the  ammonite,  from  its 
habits,  was  essentially  dependent  on  the  temperature  of  the 
air,  as  well  as  on  that  of  the  water. 

There  is  at  present  a  difference  of  49°  5  F.  between  the 
mean  annual  temperature  of  Point  Wilkie  and  Dublin  ;  and 
if  this  change  of  temperature  be  supposed  to  be  caused  by 
a  change  of  tlie  relative  positions  of  land  and  water,  the 


No.  IV.  ■  No.  IV. 


APPENDIX. 


309 


temperature  of  Dublin,  or  of  some  place  on  the  same  par- 
allel of  latitude,  must  be  supposed  to  be  raised  to  99°  5  F. ; 
while  the  temperature  of  the  thermal  equator  will  exceed 
124° — a  temperature  only  a  few  degrees  below  that  requisite 
to  boil  an  egg  !  I  reject,  without  scruple,  a  theory  that  re- 
quires such  a  result,  which  must  be  considered  as  a  mini- 
mum ;  as  it  is  probable  that  the  ammonite  required  a  finer 
climate  than  that  of  Britain  for  the  full  enjoyment  of  his 
existence. 

The  theory  of  central  heat,  also,  appears  to  me  to  be  open 
to  the  same  objection,  as  a  mode  of  explaining  this  remark- 
able geological  fact ;  for  it  will  simply  add  a  constant  to 
our  present  climates,  leaving  the  dififerences  to  remain,  as  at 
present,  to  be  accounted  for  by  latitude  and  distribution  of 
land  and  water.  The  astronomical  theory  of  Hcrschel,  also, 
which  would  account  for  former  changes  of  climate  by 
changes  in  the  radiating  power  of  the  sun,  would  only  in- 
crease the  temperature  at  each  latitude,  leaving  the  differ- 
ences as  at  present. 

The  only  speculation  with  which  I  am  acquainted,  which 
is  capabFe  of  solving  this  opprobrium  geologicorum,  is  the 
hypothesis  of  a  change  in  the  axis  of  rotation  of  the  earth, 
the  admission  of  which,  as  a  geological  possibility,  is  math- 
ematically demonstrable,  and  which  has  recently  had  some 
singular  evidence  in  its  favor  advanced  by  geologists.  In 
1851,  I  brought  forward,  at  the  Geological  Society  of  Dub- 
lin, a  case  of  angular  fragments  of  granite  occurring  in  the 
carboniferous  limestone  of  the  County  Dublin  ;  and  ex- 
plained the  phenomena  by  the  supposition  of  the  transport- 
ing power  of  ice.  In  1855,  Professor  Ramsay  laid  before 
the  Geological  Society  of  London  a  full  and  detailed  theory 
of  glaciers  and  ice  as  agents  concerned  in  the  formation  of 
a  remarkable  breccia,  of  Permian  age,  occurring  in  the  cen- 
tral counties  of  England;  and  still  more  recently  the  same 
agent  has  been  employed  by  the  geological  surveyors  of 


m 
■  ^\ 


It' 


nl 


810 


APPENDIX. 


No.  IV. 


India  to  accoant  for  tho  transport  of  materials  at  geological 
periods  long  antecedent  to  those  in  which  ice  transport  is 
commonly  supposed  to  have  commenced.  The  motion  of 
the  earth's  axis  would  reconcile  all  the  facts  known,  and  it 
must  be  regarded  as  a  geological  desideratum  to  determine 
its  amount  and  direction,  and  to  assign  the  cause  of  such  a 
movement.  The  solution  of  this  problem  I  regard  as  quite 
possible. 

It  is  well  worthy  of  remark,  that  the  arguments  from  the 
occurrence  of  coal-plants  and  ammonites  strengthen  eacli 
other ;  the  coal-plants  rendering  the  question  of  Ivjht,  and 
the  ammonites  that  of  heal,  insuperable  objections  to  the 
admission  of  any  received  geological  hypothesis  to  account 
for  the  finding  of  such  remains,  in  situ,  in  latitudes  so  high 
as  those  of  Melville  Island,  Prince  Patrick's  Island,  and 
Exmonth  Island.        ^ 


V. —  Hie  Superficial  Deposits. 

The  surface  of  the  ground,  where  exposed,  throughout 
the  Arctic  Archipelago,  does  not  appear  to  be  covered  with 
thick  deposits  of  clay  or  gravel,  such  as  are  found  generally 
in  the  north  of  Europe,  and  referred  by  geologists  to  what 
they  call  "  the  Glacial  Epoch."  There  are  not,  however, 
wanting  abundant  evidences  of  the  transport  of  drift  ma- 
terials, and  there  is  some  good  evidence,  collected  by  Cap- 
tain M'Clintock,  of  the  direction  in  which  the  drift  was 
moved,      '■■n" ^---''i  "■--'•;i-;:>   'v  '   '^    :V- ,  -, 

Specimens  of  granite,  which  I  have  no  hesitation  in  re- 
ferring to  the  characteristic  granite  of  the  west  side  of 
North  Somerset,  were  found  at  Leopold  Harbor  (North 
Somerset)  and  at  Graham  Moore  Bay  (Bathurst  Island) ; 
one  of  these  localities  is  N.  E.  and  the  other  N.  W.  of  the 
granite  of  North  Somerset,  from  which  I  infer  that  there 
was  no  constant  prevailing  direction  for  the  drift  ice  that 


No.  IV. 


APPENDIX. 


311 


carried  these  boalders,  bat  that  they  were  transported  to  the 
northward  in  various  directions,  according  to  the  varying 
motion  of  the  currents  that  moved  the  ice.  The  boulder  of 
granite  at  Port  Leopold  is  100  miles  N.  E.  of  the  granite 
which  gave  origin  to  it;  and  the  specimens  from  Graham 
Moore  Bay  are  190  miles  to  the  N.  W.  of  their  source. 

At  Cape  Rennell  (North  Somerset),  in  a  direction  inter- 
mediate between  the  two  former  directions,  a  remarkable 
boulder  of  the  same  granite  was  found,  confirming  the  gen- 
eral direction  of  the  transporting  force  from  south  to  north. 
Its  position  and  size  are  thus  recorded  by  Captain  M'Clin- 
tock  : — "  Near  Cape  Rennell  we  passed  a  very  remarkable 
rounded  boulder  of  gneiss  or  granite;  it  was  6  yards  in 
circumference,  and  stood  near  the  beach,  and  some  15  or  20 
yards  above  it;  one  or  two  masses  of  rounded  gneiss, 
although  very  much  smaller,  had  arrested  our  attention  at 
Port  Leopold." 

It  is  well  known  that  Captain  Sir  Robert  M'Clure 
brought  home  specimens  of  pine-trees  found  in  the  greatest 
abundance  in  the  ravines  on  the  west  coast  of  Baring 
Island ;  one  of  his  specimens  preserved  in  the  museum  of 
the  Royal  Dublin  Society  measures  15  inches  by  12  inches, 
and  contains  three  knots  that  prove  it  formed  a  portion  of 
the  stem  high  above  its  root.  The  bark  is  not  found  on  this 
specimen,  which  does  not  represent  the  full  thickness  of  the 
tree ;  I  have  estimated  that  this  fragment  contains  70  rings 
of  annual  growth. 

Similar  remains  were  found  by  Captain  M'Clintock  and 
Lieutenant  Mecham  in  Prince  Patrick's  Island,  and  in  Wel- 
lington Channel  by  Sir  Edward  Belcher.  On  the  coast  of 
\o\v  Siberia,  Lieutenant  Anjou  found  a  clay  cliff  containing 
SI  cms  of  trees  still  capable  of  being  used  as  fuel.  The 
oi%inal  observers  all  agree  in  thinking  that  these  trees  grew 
where  they  are  now  found ;  and  Captain  Osborne,  in  men- 
liuiiing  Sir  Roderick  I.  Murchisou's  opinion  that  they  art 


312 


APPENDIX. 


No.  IV. 


drift  timber,  justly  adds  the  remark,  that  a  sea  safficiently 
free  from  ice  to  allow  of  their  being  drifted  from  the  south 
would  indicate  also  a  climate  sufficiently  mild  to  allow  of 
their  having  grown  upon  the  land  where  they  now  occur. 
Mr.  Hopkins,  in  his  anniversary  address  as  President  of  the 
Geological  Society  of  London,  has  published  a  remarkable 
geological  speculation,  which  would  account  for  the  facts 
above  mentioned.'"  So  far  as  the  evidence  of  drift  boulders  is 
concerned,  I  have  shown  that  the  direction  of  the  currents 
was  from  the  south ;  ia  fact  which  falls  in  with  the  drift 
theory,  so  far  as  it  goes. 

We  cannot,  however,  dissociate  these  trees  from  the  facts 
connected  with  the  distribution  of  the  remains  of  the  Sibe- 
rian Mammoth  in  Asia  and  America.  It  is  now  known 
that  this  elephant  was  provided  with  a  warm  fur,  and  that 
his  food  was  of  a  kind  which  grows  even  now  in  Northern 
Siberia ;  so  that  Ihe  drift  theory,  which  was  formerly  sup- 
posed necessary  to  account  for  the  occurrence  of  these  re- 
mains,  has  now  been  quietly  dropped,  sub  silentio,  by  the 
geologists.  Many  other  drift  theories  have,  in  like  manner, 
lived  their  short  day,  and  gone  the  way  of  all  false  hypo- 
theses ;  among  others,  the  drift  theory  of  the  origia  of  coal. 
Further  investigation  may  show  that  the  glacial  epoch  of 
Europe  was  one  of  a  very  different  character  in  Asia  and 
America,  and  that,  while  glaciers  clothed  the  sides  of  Snow- 
don  and  liUgnaquillia,  pine  focests  flourished  in  the  Parr} 
Islands,  and  the  Siberian  elephants  wandered  on  the  shores 
of  a  sea  washed  by  the  waves  of  an  ocean  that  carried  no 
drifting  ice. 

There  is  abundant  evidence,  however,  that  the  Arctic 
Archipelago  was  submerged  in  very  recent  geological  pe- 
riods; for  we  know  that  subfossil  shells,  of  species  that 
now  inhabit  the  waters  of  the  neighboring  seas,  and  found 

*  Journ.  Geol.  Soo.  Lond.,  rol.  VIII.  p.  Iziv. 


No.rv. 


APPENDIX. 


313 


at  considerable  heights  throughout  the  whole  group  of 
islands.  M'Clure  found  shells  of  the  Cyprina  hlaiidica, 
at  the  summit  of  the  Coxcomb  range,  in  Baring  Island,  at 
an  elevation  of  600  feet  above  the  sea-level ;  Captain 
Parry,  also,  has  recorded  the  occurrence  of  Venu8  (prob- 
ably Cyprina  Islandica)  on  Byam  Martin's  Island ;  and  in 
the  recent  voyage  of  the  '  Fox,*  Dr.  Walker,  the  Surgeon 
of  the  expedition,  found  the  following  subfossil  shells  at 
Port  Kenedy,  at  elevations  of  from  100  to  500  feet : — 

1.  Saxicava  rttgoaa. 

2.  Telltna  proxima. 

3.  A^tarte  Arctica  (Borealis.) 

4.  3Iya  Uddevallenai$, 

5.  ilya  Truncata. 

6.  Cardium  sp. 

7.  Buccinum  tindatum. 

8.  Acmea  teatudinalla. 

9.  Balanua  UddevalleimH. 

At  the  same  place  f^  portion  of  the  palate-bone  of  a 
whole  (Right  Whale)  was  found  at  an  elevation  of  150 
feet. 

All  these  facts  indicate  the  former  submergence  of  the 
Arctic  Archipelago,  but  this  submergence  mnst  have  been 
anterior  to  the  period  when  pine  forests  clothed  the  low 
sandy  shores  of  the  slowly  emerging  islands,  the  remains  of 
which  forests  now  occupy  a  position  at  least  100  feet  above 
high-watermark.  * 

The  geolgical  map  which  I  am  enabled  to  publish  from 
the  data  collected  by  Captains  M'Clintock,  M'Clure,  Os- 
borne, &c.,  is  an  enlargement  of  that  which  was  published 
in  185t  by  the  Royal  Society  of  Dublin,  to  illustrate  the 
fine  collection  of  Arctic  fossils  and  minerals  deposited  in 
the  museum  of  that  body  by  Captains  M'Clintock  and 
M'Clure.  In  perfecting  it  for  its  present  purpose  I  have 
availed  myself  of  all  the  other  sources  of  information  within 
my  reach,  among  which  I  am  bound  to  mention  in  particulai 


314 


APPKNDTX. 


No.  IV 


the  cxellent  appendix  to  Dr.  SiitherlaiMl's  'Voyage  of  the 
Lady  Franklin  and  Sophia,'  written  by  Mr.  Suiter,  Palse- 
ontologist  of  the  Geological  Survey  of  Great  Britain. 

Many  of  the  mineral  specimens  of  Greenland,  and  the 
fossils  from  Cape  Riley,  Cape  Farrand,  Point  Fury,  and 
Brentford  Bay,  were  collected  by  Dr.  David  Walker,  sur- 
geon and  naturalist  to  the  'Fox'  Expedition. 


No,  T. 


AJM»KNDIX. 


No.  V. 


LIST  OP  SUBSCRIBERS  TO  THE  'FOX'  EXPEDITION. 


£     t.d. 

AciAWD,  Sir  T.  D.  Bart 100    0    0 

AdauiH,  Dr. Walter,  Bdlaburg.      3    3    0 

Aldrioh,  Captain  R.N 110 

Allan,  Kob.  M.,  Esq 110 

Allen,  Captain  Robert 6    fi    0 

Allen,  Captain,  R.N 2    2    0 

Amea,  Mrs fi    0    0 

Ames,  Miaa 10    0 

Anon 6    0    0 

Armstrong,  Mrs ■      110 

Armstrong,  children  of  Mrs...      0    8    9 

Arnold,  Mrs 110 

Arrowsmith,  John,  Esq fi    0    0 

AuMtiu,  Kear-Adm.  Horatio  T. 
B.N.,  C.B 5    0    0 

Babbaob,  Ghailes,  Esq 10    0    0 

Baikie.Dr 110 

Baker,  Mra fi    0    0 

Barkworth,  Oeo.,  i^sq S    0    0 

Barras,  Miss 110 

Barrett,  H.  J,.  Esq 10    0 

Barrow,  John,  Exq 23    0    0 

BarHtow,  Lieutenant,  R.N 10    0 

Barth,  Dr.  Uenrv fi    fi    0 

Bath,  W.  J.  C,  Esq 0    2    6 

Batty,  Mrs.  J.  M 110 

Beaufort,  Rear-Adm.  Sir  Fran* 

cis,  K.C.B fiO    0    0 

Bell,  Thos.,  Esq.,  Pres.  Linn 

Society 10  10    0 

Bennett,  John  S.,  Esq fi    0    0 

Birch,  J.  W.  N.,  Esq 10    0    0 

Bird,  Captain,  R.N fi    0    0 

Birininifham,  small  sums  col- 
lected at  Evans'  Library....      3    10 

Booth,  Mrs.. fi    0    0 

Borton,  Mrs.,  collected  by 1  10    0 

Boston,  collected  at,  by  Mr. 

Morton ,      4    4    0 

Bovill,  Walter,  Esq fi    0    0 

Buyor,  Lieut.  U.N 0  10    0 

K<>vl»,  the  Hon.  Carolina  G...      1    0    0^ 

Kiiifir,  collected  at 110 

Bi  i lie.  Captain,  R.E 110 

Broukiug,  J.  Holdsworth,  Esq.  10    0    0 

Br  .wn,  Kobt.,  Esq.,  V.P.L.8.  20    0    0 

Brovru,  John,  Esq., S    0    0 

Brown,  J.  E.,  Esq.,  R.N 0    fi    0 

Bruce,  the  Rev.  C 110 

Burrfoyne,  Captain,  R  N 10    0 

Burton,  Alfred,  Esq 110 

Byron,  the  Hon.  Fred 5    0    0 

CHE3NKY,  Maior-Oeneral 2    2    0 

Colliuson,  Capt.,  K.N.,  C.B...  20    0    0 
CoiiinKliam,  W.,  Esq.,  jr.P....  100    0    0 

Coote,  C.  W.,  Esq 10    0 

Cooto,  Charles,  Esq 10    0    0 

"loartaHld,  Sumucl.EiHi 25    0    0  ' 


£    r  i 

Courtauld,  George,  Esq 1.')    0  C 

Goutts,  Messrs.  £  Co .'>it    0  0 

Grasp,  J.,  Esq.,  Surgeon,  63id 

ReKt , 1    0  0 

Grauford,  John,  Esq ft    0  0 

Gresawell,  S.  Gurn«y,   Gom- 

mander,  B.N fi    0  0 

Dalortt,  F.  T.,  Em 10  IC  0 

De  la  Boquette,  M.,  V.P.  of 

Oeog.  Soe.  of  Pftris,  1000  fr..  40    0  0 

Dllke,  G.  W.,  Esq fi    0  0 

Dixon,  James,  Esq 10    0  0 

Doxat,  Alexia,  J.,  Esq 10  10  0 

Doxat,  Miss  H.,  collected  by..      4    0  0 

"Dubious" 0    2  6 

Dufferin,  Lord 2.'i    0  0 

Edoar,  Mrs.,  collected  by fi    0  0 

EUesmere,  the  Earl  of. Ifi    0  0 

Elphinstone,  the  Hon.  Mount- 
Stewart 10    0  0 

Elton,  Sir  Arthur  H.,  Bart fi    fi  i) 

Emanuel,  Ezekiel,  Hh(|. 1    0  «> 

Fairhoi.mr,  the  Hon.  Mrs 190    0  0 

Filliter,  Uuorge,  Esq 10    0  0 

Fitton,  Dr 21    0  0 

Fortescue,  Rev.  T.  F.  G 2    2  0 

Garlinq,  H.,Esq 110 

Oassiot,  J.  P.,  Esq 23    0  0 

Oimingham,  W.,  Esq.,  AMrs.      2    2  0 

Oipps,  Lady A    0  0 

Oowen,  J.  R.,  Esq ff    0  0 

Graves.  Messrs.  Pall  Mall 110 

Orittttli>,,  O.  H.,  Esq fi    fi  0 

GruuPisea,  Ch.  Lewis,  Esq....      110 

GruDttisen,  Mrs 110 

Guillemard,  thoRev.  W.  U...      fi    0  0 

Ouillemard,  Miss 1)0 

Hall,  James,  Esq 10  0 

Haubury,  Mrs 110 

Hardinge,  Commander,  R.N..      0  10  U 

Hardwicke,  Philip,  Esq fi    0  0 

Harney,  Julian,  Esq.,  collect- 
ed by,  at  Jersey fiO    0  0 

Heales,  Alfred,  Esq fi    fi  0 

Hercing,  Miss 2    2  0 

Hicks,  John,  Esq 2    0  0 

Hill,  CoL  63d  Reg^ 1    0  0 

Hodgson,  Mrs 10    0  0 

Holland,  Commander,  R.N...      fi    0  0 

Hollingsworth,  H.,  Esq 2    2  0 

Holland,  Rob.,  Esq 10  10  0 

Hooker,  Dr.  J.  D fi    5  0 

Hornby,  Miss  Georgina 100    0  0 

Hornby,  the  Rev.  Edward 25    0  0 

Hornby,  Mrs.  Edmund »      6    0  0 


APPENDIX. 


No.  V. 


£    9.  d. 

Honibf,  Hiss  Qeorglna,  col- 

leeted  br 13    4    0 

Hovell,  W.  H.,  Enq 5    8    0 

Hu<;bo8,  Lieuteuaat,  R.N 2    0    0 

iNOLifl.  Lad7 10    1    0 

liby,  T.  W.,  Esq 10    0 

jACKsoif,  N.  Ward,  Esq 21    0    0 

JuQHOD,  J.  C,  Esq ff    ft    0 

Jeanes,  .4.  W.,  Esq.,  R.N 0  10    0 

Joriiey  "Times" 2  10    0 

Kkllrtt,  Commodore,  C.B....  10    0    0 

Kendall,  Mrs 10    0 

Kondall,  the  Rer.  Professor...  10    0 

Key,  Lieutenant,  R.N 0    A    C 

KiniT;  William,  Esq 0    0    0 

Lairo,  Macgrcgor,  Esq fiO    0    0 

Laird,  John,  Euq 2S    0    0 

L.  and  N.  W 14    0 

Lauford,  J.,  Esq.,  Qnarterran»> 

niaKter  63d  Regiment 0  10    0 

Langborue,  A.,  Esq 110 

Laroom,  Mrs 10    0 

Leach,  William,  Esq A    6    0 

Lo  Fouvre,  W.  J.,  Esq HO    0    0 

Lefroy,  C.  B.,  Esq 2    0    0 

Leicester,  tbe  Rev.  F 1    1     0 

L'thbridge,  Lieut.,  R.N 0    5    0 

'■  Loclimaben  Castle,"  Owners 

uf  the 5    5    6 

LyaU,  D.,  Esq.,  R.N.,  M.D....  5    0    0 

Maokirtobh,  Eneas,  Esq 10    0    0 

Hagaire,  Captain,  R.N 3    3    0 

MaitUnd,Capt.SirTb08.R.N.  10  0 
Majendie,  Ashhurst,  Esq.,  and 

Mrs 100    0    0 

Servants  of  tbe  above 0  14    0 

Miiliiy.  MesRrs 5    0    0 

MHlliy,  .^loHRrR.  Worlcmen  in 

their  ISstablisbment  by  a  6d. 

Subscription 4  11    6 

Mausfiold,  W.  H.  S.,  Esq 0  10    0 

Mantell,  Dr  A.  A 10    0 

Marlcham,  Clements,  Esq 110 

Marlcman.  Mrs 10    0 

M'Rea,  Captain,  R.N 0  10    0 

M'Kinlay,  Miss 10    0 

MKinlav,  Miss  Elizabeth 10    0 

M'William,  Dr.,  R.N 1    1    0 

Merry,  W.  L.,  Esq 110 

Morris,  Rev.  F.  B 10    0 

Morris,  Sir  Armine,  Bart 5    0    0 

Murchison,  Sir  Roderick  Jm- 

pey,  G.  C.  St.  S.,  President 

of  the  Royal  Oeog.  Soc 100    0    0 

Murray,  John,  Esq 20    0    0 

Nares,  Fras.,  Esq 2    2    0 

Newall,  W.  L.,  Esq 100    0    0 

Nicholson,  Sir  Charles 5    0    0 

N.  J 2    2    0 

Norwood,  collected  at,  by  a 

Lady 7  15    0 


£    9.d. 

Ommaxnet,  Captain  Erasmus, 

R.N. 2    0  0 

Osborn,  Rr  George,  Bart 10  0 

Paget,  A.  F.,  Esq. 0  10  « 

Paget,  C.  H.  M.,  Esq 110 

Pasley,  Gen,  Sir  Charles  W., 

K.C.B 10    0  0 

Second  Subscription 10    0  0 

Third  Subscription 5    0  0 

Pattison,  U.  L.,  Esq 50    0  0 

Poarce,  Stephen,  Esq 2    2  0 

Pbilltmore,  Captain,  R.N 2    2  0 

Pigou,  Fred.,  Esq 10    0  0 

Prescott,  Vice-Adm.  Sir  Hen- 

Rawkslbt,  tbe  Rev.  Dram- 

mond.. 5    0  0 

Rawnsley,  Mrs.,  collected  by..  10  0 
Rawnsley,  William,  Franklin 

collected  by,  at  Uppingham 

School 0  10  0 

Raynsford,  Mr* 110 

Reynardson,  H.  B.,  Esq 5    0  0 

Rogers,  Lieut.,  R.N 10  0 

Roget,  Dr.  P.  M 5    0  0 

Roper,  George,  Esq 5    5  0 

Rush,  Rear-Adm.  Sir  Jas.  G...  21    0  0 

Rupert's  Land,  Bishop  of 6    0  0 

Sabikr,  Major-General 25    0  0 

Sadler,  W.  P.,  Esq 10  10  0 

Sefton,  tbe  Countess  of 13    0  0 

Shearley,  W.,  Esq 2    0  0 

Shell,  Sir  Justin 5    0  0 

Shewell,  John  Tulmin,  Esq...      5    5  0 

Simpson,  J.,  Esq.,  R.N 1  10  0 

Skoy,  Dr 2    2  0 

Smith,  Eric  E..  Esq 2    0  0 

Smith,  John  Henry,  Esq 10  10  0 

Smith,  Osborn,  Esq 2    2  0 

Smith,  Archibald,  Esq 5    5  0 

Sparrow,  James,  Esq 5    0  0 

St.  Asaph,  the  Bishop  of. 10    0  0 

St.  David's,  tbe  Bishop  of 10    0  0 

St.  Selger,  A.  B 5    0  0 

Staiuton,  J.  J.,  Esq 3    3  0 

Stath^D,  J.  L.,  Esq 110 

itephenson,  Robert,  Esq 20    0  0 

Stirling,  Commander,  R..N...      0  10  0 

Strzelecki,  Count  P.  de 25    0  0 

Swinburne,  Rear-Admiral ...  30    0  0 

Sykes,  Col.,  M.P 5    0  0 

Tatlob,  William,  Esq 5    0  0 

Tennant,  James,  Esq 2    0  0 

T.H.,  collected  in  shili'.Dgs  by.      2    0  0 

Thackeray,  W.  M.,  K-q 3    0  0 

Thompson,  J.,  Esq 110 

Tindal,  Commander,   R.N 2    2  0 

Tinney,  W.  H.,  Esq.,  Q.C 20    0  0 

Tite,  W.,  Esq.,  M.P flO    0  0 

Trevelyau,  Sir  W.  C,  Bart...  40    0  0 

Trnvelvau,  Lady 10    0  0 

Tioviliau,  M,  C,  Esq 2    2  0 

Trollope,  Commander,  R  N...      2    2  9 


Wo.  V. 


APPENDIX. 


£  a.d. 

Tackett,  Fred.,  Esq 0    0  0 

Tudor,  J.,  E«q 0  10  0 

Tamer,  Alfred,  Ehq lA    0  0 

Tweedie,  W.  M.,  Esq 0    0  0 

VixcBifT,  John,  Esq 10  0 

Walker,  Janen,  Esq 21    0  0 

WasliiiiKton,  Cant..  R.N.,  Hjr- 

druKrapher  of  the  Navj...  21    0  0 

Watcrfleld,  Edward,  Exq fi    0  0 

Wayso,  the  Rev.  J,  W fl    0  0 

Wold,  Charles  R.,  Enq fi    0  0 

WliPHtstoDe,  Professor fi    0  0 

Willes,  Hon.  Mr.  Justice 21    0  0 

WiUou,   Robert,  Esq 116 

Wittenoom,  Mess 110 

Wodehouse,  Commander 1  10  0 

Woodcock,  J.  Parry,  Esq ^  fi    0  0 

Worsley,   Marcus,  Esq *  10    0  0 

Wright,  the  Rev.  R.  F 2    2  0 


Wrottealey,  Lord 60  0  0 

Torwo,  Charles  F.,  Esq fi  0  0 

Toang:,  Miss fi  0  0 

Tonng,  A.  Veritj,  Esq 2  2  0 

Yule,  Mrs.  H ft  0  0 

Tu.^  brother  and  sisters  of  the 
late  /'ohii  and  Thomas  Hart- 
nell,  of  HMS.  '  Erebus,' bu- 
ried at  Beechny  Island 0  0  0 

A  Commander,  R.N 0  6  0 

A  Commander  in  the  Mer- 
chant Service 600  0  0 

AFriend,  C.  H 0  fi  0 

A  Friend 10  0 

The  daughters  of  a  retired 

Commander 2  0  0 

A  Sympathiser 10  0 

£2981  8  9 


■^  •  •  •  >■ 


A  life-boat,  presented  by  Mesbrs.  White  of  Gowes. 

A  large  quantity  of  preserved  potatoes,  by  Messrs.  King,  late  Edwards. 

Apparatus  for  lowering  a  boat  at  sea,  presented  by  Mr.  Clifford,  the  IbtmIw 

Three  traveling  tents,  by  Messrs.  Winior  and  Newton. 

A  stove,  by  Mr.  Kettle. 

JO  dozen  "  Isle  of  White  saace,"  by  Mr.  Taoker  of  Newport. 

Apparatus  for  reefing  topsails,  flrom  Mr.  Ganningham,  the  InTeator. 


XHB  BND. 


